is a traditional Brasilian recipe of grilled beef on skewers. It was
developed in the Rio Grande do Sul region by the “Gauchos” of Brazil
many hundreds of years back. With the introduction of cattle ranching
in the region the Gauchos were given the task of herding the cattle
which gave birth to the innovative barbecue style. Beef, to be more
specific sirloin was the meat traditionally used in this Brasilian
recipe barbecue, but with time pork, lamb, poultry as well as other beef
cuts also became popular for this unique cooking style.
The
preparation is very simple but delicious. In Churrasco the meats are
smothered in sal grosso or sea salt / ahlo or garlic which is slowly
cooked over blazing embers. Different marinades can be added according
to you taste. The best part is that that the skewer can placed back in
the oven in a different position based on the level of cooking needed.
In south Brazil, meat is traditionally cooked about three feet adjoining
the charcoal fire with skewers placed on the ground around open fire.
It takes around 6 hours to cook and the meat can be left for a longer
time with the fire away.
Surface layers of the meat are sliced
off as it cooks and eaten slowly. This could mean that the barbecue
starts at lunch and ends at dinner! Salt-water baste used for cooking
keeps the meat luscious and moist while it is cooking without adding
anything else.
The Recipe
Ingredients for Churrasco:
Beef tenderloin – 2 pounds
Kosher salt – 2 tablespoons
Garlic – 2 cloves minced
Hot water -1 cup
Garnish – to taste
Method of Preparation:
1. Preheat the grill.
2. Slice the tenderloin into six same size pieces.
3. Keep low heat and place the meat pieces on the grill.
4. Make a salt-water solution and add garlic into it.
5. When the meat starts to cook base it with the salt water solution. The meat will brown on the outside.
6. Keep basting right through the time till the meat is done to your taste.
In fact you can use any type of meat for this Brasilian Recipe. You can also cook Churrasco on a rotisserie.