| Often referred to as Brazilian, or Gaucho (Brazilian | | | | coals. |
| cowboy) style food, churrasco barbecue began as a | | | | How a modern churrasco is usually set up is to have |
| method of rendering tough cuts of beef into more | | | | the lower rotisserie spits rotate mechanically, while |
| tender cuts. | | | | the upper ones are turned by hand. There are even |
| A churrasco barbecue is a small brick fireplace about | | | | inserts you can buy that are fit to slide into the |
| shoulder high. You build a small fire of wood charcoal | | | | churrasco opening. |
| (not the kind of charcoal you normally buy) under a | | | | Before cooking, the meat is usually seasoned with |
| rotisserie, with spits at various heights above the fire. | | | | sea salt or garlic, and cooked slowly over the fire. |
| Churrascos are becoming very popular around the | | | | Various marinades can also be used. |
| world, with restaurants(called churrascarias) and | | | | Beef is not the only cut of meat used in a churrasco |
| restaurant chains specializing in this style of cooking | | | | barbecue. Pork, chicken, goat (cabrito), and sausage |
| popping up everywhere. Homes everywhere are | | | | (linguica,a spicy Brazilian sausage), are all regularly |
| building churrascos into their outdoor kitchen and | | | | used, and with excellent results. Very lean wild game |
| patio designs. Always popular in South America, this | | | | works well also, since a churrasco helps keep in most |
| barbecue cooking style can be found throughout | | | | of the fat and juices. |
| Asia, Europe, and North America. | | | | Unlike the barbecue grill normally used, a churrasco |
| In today's world, a churrasco barbecue works well | | | | barbecue makes it possible to cook several large cuts |
| with all store-bought cuts of meat, including the | | | | of meat at once. This makes it perfect when cooking |
| quality cuts, which end up very tender and juicy. | | | | for a large number of people. Since it is such a slow |
| A churrasco cooks a little differently than the | | | | cooking method, even the cook gets to relax and |
| rotisserie over a grill that Westerners normally use. It | | | | enjoy the party. |
| has the added dimension of heat that radiates from | | | | Accompaniments for the cooked meat include garlic |
| the brick walls. This creates kind of an "oven effect", | | | | sauce, limes, and olive oil. Chicken and pork tastes |
| where the meat is being cooked on all sides at once. | | | | wonderful when drizzled with a little olive oil and a |
| In other words, even the side of meat facing away | | | | squeeze or two of lime juice. For churrasco |
| from the fire is being cooked. This radiant heat helps | | | | barbecues, it's the simple ingredients that create the |
| seal in the juices evenly. Surprisingly, very little of the | | | | wonderful flavors. |
| juices from the meat actually drip into the fire and | | | | |