Old cow's chule of the upper Basque country

➊ Coat the chop on both sides with Añana salt. I like to use this salt because its properties make it ideal for grilling chops. It has a medium grain that helps give the chop the right saltiness. In this case, we will raise the heat a little to cook this chop.

➋ Place the old cow chop on the hot grill, leave it for a few minutes until some of the fat begins to melt and drip onto the embers. Due to the amount of fat and the infiltration, we will achieve a perfect seal in a few minutes. When tasting it, we will perceive that unmistakable hint of maturation that contributes to a very balanced meat flavor. Turn it over and grill the other side for a few minutes as well. Finally, using the tongs, place it on its edges. Leave it to rest for a few minutes, separate the bone and cut it into slices.

➌ For the piquillo confit, deseed and quarter the peppers and place them in a pan with the garlic, a little sugar and plenty of olive oil and simmer on the grill at a low temperature for about 3 hours so that the sugar caramelizes.

Paco Boigues: "A chop with a spectacular presence, aged for up to 40 days to continually improve its flavour. Carefully selected animals from traditional farms in the Basque Country. Pampered and cared for animals raised as part of the family. On Basque farms, it was tradition to feed the cows and oxen until the end of their lives, in addition to the grass of the salt marshes (due to the proximity to the sea), with corn and the vegetables grown in their gardens. This diet is responsible for the characteristic flavour of this chop. They are pieces with a good fat cover and a fine marbling that melts when grilled, giving them flavour and texture. They are cows with a carcass weight of more than 400 kg, older than 7 years and usually Friesian, Simmental, Limousin or a cross between these. Their feed is based on grass and cereals grown on their own farms".