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Carne de Sol

Salted, air-dried beef from Brazil’s northeast, seared crisp in butter and served with onions — salty, chewy, and unforgettable.

⏱ 15 minPrep time
🔥 30 minCook time
🍽 6Servings
🏷 Brazilian KitchenCategory
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Carne de Sol

Carne de sol, literally ‘sun meat’, is the northeastern tradition of salting beef and drying it in the sun and breeze, a clever way to preserve meat in the tropical heat. At home, a long salt cure in the fridge gives the same deep flavor and firm, steak-like texture.

Sun-dried flavor, home-kitchen method

The cured beef turns a deep ruby red and develops a concentrated, savory flavor, then sears into crisp-edged ribbons with a tender, slightly chewy bite. With buttery onions and farofa, it is rustic and magnificent.

Step by stepInstructions

  1. Rub the beef slabs all over with the coarse salt and sugar, pressing it in well.
  2. Place the meat on a rack over a tray and refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours, turning once, until the surface firms up and the meat is deeply seasoned.
  3. Rinse the meat well under cold running water to remove the excess salt, then pat it completely dry.
  4. Slice the beef thinly against the grain, into about 1/4-inch pieces.
  5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat and sear the beef in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until crisp-edged and browned; set aside.
  6. Lower the heat, melt the butter in the same pan, and cook the onion for 5 minutes until golden and soft; add the garlic for 1 minute.
  7. Return the beef to the pan, toss with the onions and parsley, and serve hot with rice, farofa, and buttered cassava.

💡 Chef tips & storage

The overnight salt cure is the home version of sun drying — do not skip the rinse or the meat will be too salty. Traditional accompaniments are buttered cassava, farofa, and rice, with a squeeze of lime.

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Recipe details

Prep15 min
Cook30 min
Servings6
CategoryBrazilian Kitchen
PublishedAugust 17, 2026
Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →