BBQ World Tour #3 - In 2020, Kokko becomes a globetrotter and offers you a "BBQ world tour" to discover the history of grilling, smoking, and roasting through different cuisines. For this third stage, we're meeting in Portugal. Put on your gloves, heat up the charcoal, and set up the grills: let's go!
Churrasco: Portuguese or Brazilian?
Churrasco is more often associated with Brazilian cuisine, to the detriment of Portuguese gastronomy, where it is also very present. More broadly, churrasco is a culinary specialty found in several South American countries, as well as in Galicia and Portugal, which we are focusing on today. This is a deliberate choice, of course, but one that will allow us to limit our CO2 emissions by not traveling to the other side of the planet. And frankly, don't worry, the Portuguese have mastered it perfectly!
The Portuguese Churrasco tradition
"Churrasco" is simply the Portuguese translation of the word "barbecue." As in its French version, it refers both to the cooking method "au churrasco," traditionally done with charcoal, and to the grilled meats themselves. Even though fish is also grilled, churrasco is primarily about grilled meats, mainly beef, pork, and of course chicken, "frango" in Portuguese, with its particularly irresistible aroma as it browns on the grills of "Churrasqueiras," restaurants specializing in barbecue cuisine. This convivial cuisine is extremely flavourful, thanks in particular to the special preparation of the meat.
To make your churrasco perfectly, be sure to choose the right charcoal.
Butterflying the chicken
Grilled chicken is undoubtedly the star of the Portuguese churrasco, not only for its inimitable taste thanks to an exceptional marinade, but also for its special cooking. In fact, churrasco chicken never stays dry after cooking, not least because it is cut "à la crapaudine", i.e. it is split open in the middle of the rib cage toobtain a chicken that is as flat as possible, like a toad. Why is this done? So that the whole piece of meat cooks quickly, evenly and juicily.
The perfect accessories for mastering chicken filleting?
- Stainless steel grid
-Stainless steel meat fork
-Large stainless steel tongs
Find this technique in our "American-style" grilled chicken recipe.
An inimitable marinade
With its sweet and sour notes, the "frango au churrasco" marinade is a perfect match for the taste of toasted wood. It includes garlic, fleur de sel, lemon, onion, a touch of vinegar or white wine, olive oil, piri-piri sauce and touches of malaguette, a small Portuguese green pepper with a hint of pepper. Some recipes even include a hint of bell bell pepper. The good news is that Portuguese grocery stores sell ready-made preparations of this delicious sauce. Of course, to allow the meat to soak up the sauce, once the chicken has been cut up, it is coated and left to rest for at least 24 hours or overnight before being placed on the grill of the churrasco. While the chicken is cooking, don't hesitate to use a glove and a brush to brush a little more of the sauce on the chicken to give it flavor.
What to use to make the marinade?
Choose our Set of 4 stainless steel utensilsincluding an exclusive brush for basting marinades, a large pair of tongs, a spatula suitable for all types of cooking and a fork!
Cooking on a barbecue requires some precautions. Before you start, make sure you follow these safety rules for a safe and relaxed BBQ.
Focus on picanha
Besides chicken, pork, especially spare ribs, belly and sausages are also often grilled in churrasco style. Beef is also used, especially a cut that is very popular in Brazil: picanha. This cut of beef from the rump is not common in France because the way meat is cut differs from country to country. Indeed, in Portuguese or Brazilian butcher shops, when rump is cut, a piece of fat is left on one side, a bit like a duck breast. Then, divided into thin slices of one or two centimetres and sprinkled with a pinch of fleur de sel, the meat is grilled for a few minutes on each side. Picanha often comes from a particular breed of beef, Black Angus, which has the characteristic of developing a marbled meat that is particularly well suited for cooking churrasco style because it makes the flesh tender and juicy.
Discover our delicious recipe for picanha, marinated and cooked on lava stone
What to serve with your Churrasco?
Most often in Churrasqueiras, the grilled meat is served with rice cooked with some onions, fries and a mixed salad (green, tomatoes, red cabbage, carrots). As for picanha, it is traditionally eaten with grilled pineapple slices, also churrasco style.
Do you have some leftovers from your churrasco? Discover our tips to not waste anything and incorporate them into other recipes.
