West African Suya Beef Platter

Step 1

Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels by pressing each piece firmly — this helps them brown better on the grill.

Step 2

Mince the garlic until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice, about the size of pencil-tip dots.

Step 3

In a small bowl, stir together the ground peanuts, cayenne pepper, paprika, minced garlic, and 0.5 teaspoons of salt until uniform.

Step 4

Pour the olive oil onto a plate, then roll each beef cube in the oil until lightly coated on all sides.

Step 5

Roll each oiled beef cube in the peanut-spice mixture, pressing gently so the coating sticks to the meat; set on a plate.

Step 6

Thread the coated beef cubes onto skewers, leaving a quarter-inch gap between pieces so heat reaches all sides.

Step 7

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat until you can hold your hand 2 inches above it for only 2–3 seconds.

Step 8

Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook without moving for 3 minutes until the bottom is dark brown with char marks.

Step 9

Rotate the skewers one quarter turn and cook for another 3 minutes until that side is dark brown and charred.

Step 10

Repeat the rotation and cooking process two more times until all sides are deeply browned and the meat is firm but yields slightly to finger pressure, about 12 minutes total.

Step 11

Transfer the skewers to a plate and rest for 2 minutes so the juices settle back into the meat.

Step 12

Dice the onion and tomato into roughly quarter-inch cubes and place in a small serving bowl.

Step 13

Chop fresh cilantro or parsley into quarter-inch pieces and scatter over the onion-tomato mixture.

Step 14

Arrange the rested skewers on a serving platter with the vegetable mixture and lime wedges alongside for squeezing over the meat.