A classic Chilean steak sandwich: thinly grilled beef layered with green beans, sliced tomato and hot ají on a round roll. The crisp-cooked beans set it apart from every other churrasco.
The chacarero is a Santiago lunch-counter legend, nicknamed the "sandwich of the people" — thin-sliced steak or pork piled into a round roll with tomato, green chili and, crucially, whole cooked green beans. Its name comes from chacra, a Quechua word for a smallholding or market garden, nodding to the tomatoes, beans and peppers that come from the land.
You bite through a soft roll into seared, savory beef, then hit the surprise of green beans, still crisp and grassy-fresh. Juicy tomato and the slow heat of ají wake everything up; it is hearty but somehow green and lively, not just meaty.
Boiling the green beans just until tender, then shocking them in ice water, fixes their bright color and firm bite so they stay fresh and snappy in the sandwich rather than going soft. Pounding and fast-searing the beef cooks it before moisture escapes, keeping each thin layer tender and juicy.
Variations
Chacarero with melted cheese, with mayonnaise added, lomo (pork loin) instead of beef, and spicier versions loaded with extra ají
On the Palate
Where Chacarero sits in the Chilean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 2How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 15 min
Trim green beans and boil them briefly until just tender but still bright and snappy.
Watch outPull the beans the moment they turn vivid green and still snap — a minute too long and they go army-drab and limp in the sandwich.
- 23 min
Drain the beans, slice them lengthwise if thick, and season lightly with salt.
- 33 min
Slice ripe tomatoes and a fresh green ají chili thinly.
- 44 min
Pound the beef thin, season with salt and pepper, and sear quickly on a hot griddle.
Watch outGet the griddle ripping hot and sear the thin beef fast so it browns before the juices run out and it steams grey.
- 52 min
Slice the warm round rolls open and, if you like, brush the cut faces on the griddle.
- 61 min
Lay the grilled beef on the base, then top with the green beans.
- 71 min
Add tomato slices and sliced ají, and close the sandwich.
- 81 min
Press gently, cut in half and serve right away.
