Home / Appetizer / Anticuchos de Corazón

Anticuchos de Corazón

Charred beef heart skewers marinated in garlicky aji panca — the smoky, chewy street food that fuels every Peruvian night market.

⏱ 30 minPrep time
🔥 10 minCook time
🍽 6Servings
🏷 AppetizerCategory
☆☆☆☆☆No ratings yet
Anticuchos de Corazón

Anticuchos were born in colonial Peru, when enslaved cooks turned the off-cuts of beef — especially the heart — into something glorious with vinegar, chiles, and fire. Grilled over charcoal and sold on every street corner, they are the taste of Lima after dark.

Marinated, skewered, and kissed by charcoal

Beef heart is dense and deeply beefy, and when it is marinated in aji panca and charred over hot coals it turns crisp at the edges with a tender, almost steak-like chew. The smoky, slightly sweet sauce clings to every bite, best chased with boiled potatoes and choclo.

Step by stepInstructions

  1. Trim the beef heart of any tough membranes and silver skin, then cut it into 1-inch cubes.
  2. Whisk together the aji panca paste, garlic, vinegar, cumin, salt, pepper, and oil in a bowl, and toss the heart cubes in the marinade until well coated.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for deeper flavor.
  4. Thread the cubes onto the skewers, packing them snugly but not tightly.
  5. Grill over medium-high coals or a hot grill pan for 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, until the edges are charred and the centers are still rosy.
  6. Rest the skewers for 5 minutes, then serve with boiled potato slices and corn, spooning any leftover marinade cooked down into a glaze on top.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Ask your butcher to clean the heart for you — it saves the most fiddly step. Anticuchos are best straight off the grill; leftover cooked heart keeps 2 days and is excellent chopped into fried rice.

Rate this recipe

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
☆☆☆☆☆No ratings yet
Sign in to rate this recipe.

Recipe details

Prep30 min
Cook10 min
Servings6
CategoryAppetizer
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 →