Febras Grelhadas (Portuguese Marinated Grilled Pork Steaks)

Every year around the end of June my husband drags the grill out from the garage like it is a ceremonial event, and every year I hand him the same bowl of marinated pork before he even asks.

Febras are what my mother made when family showed up unannounced on a Sunday, because thin pork steaks soak up a garlic and wine marinade fast and cook even faster, which matters when you have six extra people at the table and no warning. Lucas, my self-appointed savory quality control officer, has declared febras his second favorite thing to come off our grill, right behind the espetada (recipe on the site).

Febras are not the same thing as a prego (recipe on the site), which is really about the bread and the single hot slice of steak inside it, and they are not bitoque either, which gets a fried egg and a puddle of pan sauce.

Febras are their own tradition, thin cuts of pork shoulder or loin pounded down and left to bathe in white wine, garlic, bay leaf and paprika for as long as you can stand to wait, then cooked hot and fast so the edges char while the inside stays juicy. In Portugal you will find them on the chalkboard menu of nearly every neighborhood tasca, usually next to a mountain of fries and a fried egg on top if you ask nicely.

For American kitchens, the easiest path is to ask your butcher for thin-cut boneless pork shoulder steaks, sometimes sold as country-style ribs sliced thin, or minute steaks. A meat mallet and ten minutes of pounding gets you the rest of the way there. I marinate mine overnight when I can, but even four hours does real work.

Serve it the way we do at home, with crispy fries, a simple salad, and a bowl of my homemade piri-piri sauce (recipe on the site) on the side for anyone who likes things spicier than Sofia can handle.

Febras Grelhadas Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes (plus 4 to 24 hours marinating) · Cook time: 10 minutes · Total: 4 hours 30 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~390 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless pork shoulder steaks, sliced 1/4 inch thick (ask your butcher, or use thin-cut pork chops)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon piri-piri hot sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
• Lemon wedges and chopped parsley, for serving

Instructions

1. Place the pork steaks between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound gently with a meat mallet to an even 1/4 inch thickness.
2. In a large bowl or zip-top bag, whisk together the wine, garlic, bay leaves, paprika, olive oil, salt, pepper, and piri-piri if using.
3. Add the pork, turn to coat completely, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
4. Remove the pork from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking and let it come toward room temperature. Pat off excess marinade so the steaks sear instead of steam.
5. Heat a grill, grill pan, or heavy skillet over high heat with a thin film of olive oil until just smoking.
6. Cook the steaks in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until well charred at the edges and just cooked through. Do not crowd the pan.
7. Let the meat rest for 3 minutes, then squeeze fresh lemon over the top and scatter with parsley before serving.

Recipe Notes

• No butcher counter nearby? Boneless pork chops from the grocery store work fine once pounded thin; country-style ribs sliced into steaks are another good stand-in.
• Do not skip the pounding step. Thin, even steaks are what makes this dish cook in minutes instead of turning tough and gray.
• The marinade also works beautifully on boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you want a lighter version for a weeknight.
• Leftover febras make a fantastic sandwich the next day, piled on a crusty roll the way we do with prego (recipe on the site).