Brazilian Grilling

On my last trip to Vegas I was lucky enough to go to a Brazilian steakhouse, or, as they are called in Brazil, a churrascaria. The food was so good. They had 6-7 different cuts of beef, chicken, ham and pork loins all of which had been roasted over coals on large skewers and flavored with rock salt and garlic.

Because I was so fasinated with the whole experience I looked into it more. I found out that most people who grill in Brazil will have a churrasqueira, or brick grill, in their back yard.

Doing a Churrasco, which is what they call the Brazilian way of  cooking or grilling meat more generally then we do here, is an all day affair. Not only is it a meal but it is a time to relax and enjoy the company of friends and family. Most of the time the men sit outside around the grill talking while the woman gather in the house. As the meat cooks the host will cut off a piece and pass the plate around. It is then passed to a child to bring in to the woman.

When the the meat is almost done, rice and salad are put on the table and everyone starts to eat. A large platter is filled with slices and cuts of meat. It is the job of the host to keep the plate full as the meats get done. After the meal it’s time for desert, often 4-5 hours later.

As I like to do, I have some recipes to share with you. As I said before, I have an extensive recipe collection and have no Idea where I got most of them from. Please if you see one you reconize let me know so I can give credit where credit is due.

Picanha Beef

Cut the picanha into 2 inch-thick beefs.

Leave the fat layer on it, you can remove it after grilling

Rub the rock salt on the picanha with the garlic paste

Arrange the meat in skewers or directly over the grill, make sure the grill is on low

Cook the meat to your preference.

As it cooks you can cut off the outside and place it back on the grill to cook more.

Most Churrasco have two side dishes. One is rice and the other is a Vinagrete. Here is the most athentic way to prepare both.

Place 5 Tlb. olive oil into a pan and heat up. Add as much rice as you need. 1 cup serves about 2-3 people. Add a tsp. minced garlic per cup. Fry the rice in the oil until it turns white. Add 2 cups water for each cup rice. Bring to boil. add salt according to your taste.When the pot is boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook at a simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is done. Fluff with fork.

2 onions,

2 tomatoes

1 green pepper

1 head of garlic

1/3 cup diced parsley

2 tbl. vinegar

Cut the onions, tomatoes, green pepper and head of garlic  in small pieces.  Add Parsley. Add vinegar.

This is great on salad or the rice.

Hope you enjoyed. For more grilling fun head to www.flipgrillman.com