Happy Churrasco 2013!!
So it turned out the mayan calendar was wrong. And we have much to be thankful for in the new year – namely not the end of the world. Now that we can go on with our lives, we can think forward to a bright and bountiful future.
One of the things we can be happy about is that the holiday season is over. A marathon of turkey, stuffing, gravy, ham, pie and so on is over. And we can now take a deep breath and think forward to trying new things in the new year. As the new year sets in, we can think forward to a coming spring and summer and an entirely new bbq season.
As the new year sets in, we can look forward to a coming spring, summer and an entirely new bbq season.
Spring and summer are virtually right around the corner. And there’s a new concept coming to the American bbq palate. And that one is coming from South America, namely Brazil and Argentina. Rodizio, or churrasco as the Portuguese call it, is the fine art of mixing the grill with the spit. And.. making succulent spit turned meats, dripping with flavor. Beef, lamb, chicken, sausage, ostrich, pork, alligator, elk, venison, the possibilities are endless.
The Simple way to make Churrasco:
It’s not scary. Rather it’s quite simple. How does one get their feet wet in the making of churrasco and make the same kind of delicious meats at their very home? Here’s a simple set of instructions for the novice:
1. Thread the skewer through the cut of meat. Quite simple. Keeping in mind not to let it be loose and able to turn on the skewer itself. A simple trick to keep the churrasco skewer from getting too slippery? It is to rub it with egg yolk before inserting it into the meat. As it heats up, it forms a coarse texture that keeps the meat in place.
2. Then powder the outside of the meat with coarse kosher salt. Rub it in by hand.
3. Then place the skewer with meat on our Churrasco grill, using the bottom rung first to sear the meat.
4. After that, when a sear appears on the meat, usually after about 3-5 minutes, move it up to the center rung for grilling.
5. Then, after you start seeing little bits of juices running from the meat, after about 10 minutes, you should be ready for the first cut.
6. In Churrasco, you don’t cook the entire chunk of red meat, rather, you do it progressively. You cut the outside layers off first and then put it back on the grill, cooking it in about 5-6 rounds. You take it to the table and cut off the outside slices onto the plates of the diners, and then put it back on the grill, usually the middle rung is best. If you want to slow down the meal, you merely place them on the top rung in the roast position.
7. As you slice, have the diners grab the loose ends of the meat as it hangs off with pincas, or small tongs as they are called. This keeps the meat from falling off and making a mess and instead, makes it easier to slice off the meat.
8. Lather, rinse, repeat, enjoy!! Do multiple rounds until you’ve gotten to the small middle of the cut of meat, cook that through to medium rare, then slide off skewer onto plate.
9. Mount another piece of steak on the churrasco skewer and throw it into the rotation.