A hot sandwich of thinly griddled beef and a thick layer of melted cheese pressed inside soft bread. Simple and satisfying, it is one of Chile's most iconic sandwiches.
The sandwich is named after Chilean president Ramon Barros Luco, who governed from 1910 to 1915 and reputedly ordered the beef-and-cheese combination so often at the Confiteria Torres near La Moneda palace that the kitchen named it after him. His cousin senator Barros Jarpa preferred ham and cheese, giving rise to a companion sandwich.
Soft bread gives way to savory, juicy beef and a stretchy pull of mild melted cheese. It is warm, comforting and almost absurdly simple in the best way.
Thin slicing lets the beef cook fast and stay tender, while the residual heat melts the cheese around the meat so it binds into a cohesive, gooey filling.
Variations
on marraqueta or hallulla bread, with tomato added, the ham-and-cheese Barros Jarpa version, with avocado
On the Palate
Where Barros Luco sits in the Chilean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 2How it's made
8 steps · 10 min
- 14 min
Slice the beef very thinly and pound it lightly if needed for tenderness.
Watch outSlice the beef paper-thin — thin enough to cook in seconds and stay tender; thick slices turn chewy and won't bind with the cheese.
- 21 min
Season the beef with a little salt and pepper.
- 34 min
Griddle the beef on a hot oiled pan until just cooked through.
- 41 min
Lay slices of melting cheese over the hot beef so it begins to melt.
Watch outLay the cheese on the beef while it's still griddle-hot so the residual heat melts it gooey into the meat.
- 52 min
Warm the bread rolls briefly on the griddle or in the oven.
- 61 min
Pile the beef and cheese into the bread and press gently.
- 71 min
Let the residual heat finish melting the cheese into the beef.
- 81 min
Slice in half and serve warm.
