Churrasco-The Brazilian Barbeque

If you've never eaten at a Brazilian Barbeque or Churrascaria, I highly recommend it.  It's gaining popularity around the States and there are some very good (albeit expensive) chain churrascarias in the US.  Here in Brazil it is as common as hamburgers in the States.  If you are travelling, you will most likely stop at a churrascaria for lunch.  If you are hosting a get together at a restaurant or catered in your home, it is most likely going to be churrasco.  If you are having some friends over on the weekend, likely you will be preparing churrasco. What makes it different is the method of cooking.  Everything is cook on spits over an open fire.  The meat is coated with large amounts of coarse salt (that is later knocked off before serving).  Churrasco is a slow, easy going kind of meal.  You cook a little, eat a little, talk a little, probably drink a little beer (unless you are us), and eat a little more...and on and on for hours. 

Every house at least in this part of Brazil has a built in churrascaria, or place to make churrasco.  It's common to have it outside in a cabana, or in the garage, but ours is the more traditional Gaucho (cowboy) style, right in the house off the kitchen.  This makes it a nice bonus in the winter because the 2 hour process of cooking the meat also heats up the house nicely.  In the summer, however, we suffer from the excess heat.

Usually a churrasco is served with rice, maybe beans, potato salad and probably french bread.  That's it.  DaddyHealy took an interest in learning the Brazilian art of churrasco last winter, and it's been a blessing to me, a Sunday afternoon where he does a majority of the cooking and clean up (like an American family and the grill, churrasco is typically the man's department).

Our whole family likes it, which is convenient, as we eat it almost everywhere we go.  The cuts of meat are different here than in the US, but we have some favorites, namely the popular picanha, and filet, both beef.  But pork is also popular, along with ribs, occasionally chicken thighs, and sausages as well.  Luckily our daddy is an awesome cook, and we've had some great churrascos right in our home.  M is so fond of churrasco that when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday dinner, she requested churrasco.  Unfortunately, a 2 hour dinner (cooked by Daddy) was not going to happen on a weeknight, so made up for it over the weekend.

These are some pictures Grammy snapped of a churrasco we made one lazy Sunday while they were visiting.