Tour du monde du BBQ #3 - In 2020, Kokko transforms itself into a globetrotter and offers you a "tour du monde du BBQ" to discover the history of grilling, smoking and roasting through different gastronomies. For this third stopover, we're off to Portugal. Put on your gloves, heat up the charcoal and set up the grills: off you go!
Churrasco: Portuguese or Brazilian
Churrasco is often associated with Brazilian cuisine, to the detriment of Portuguese gastronomy, where it is also very present. More broadly speaking, churrasco is a culinary specialty found in several South American countries, as well as in Galicia and Portugal, the latter of which we're focusing on today. It's a bit of a bias, but one that will help us limit our CO2 emissions by not having to travel to the other side of the planet. And quite frankly, don't worry, the Portuguese have mastered it to perfection!
The Portuguese Churrasco tradition
"Churrasco" is simply the Portuguese translation of the word "barbecue". As in the French version, it refers both to the "churrasco" cooking method, traditionally carried out over charcoal, and to the grilling itself. Although fish is also grilled, churrasco is above all about grilled meats, mainly beef, pork and of course chicken, "frango" in Portuguese, which smells particularly irresistible when browning on the grill of "Churrasqueiras", restaurants specializing in barbecue cuisine. This convivial cuisine is extremely tasty, thanks in no small part to the special preparation of the meat.
To make the perfect churrasco, be sure to choose the right charcoal.
Cutting chicken with a spatula
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? To cook the whole piece of meat quickly, evenly and juicily.
Find out more about 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. During cooking, use a glove and a brush to brush the chicken again with a little of this sauce to give it flavour.
Barbecuing requires a few precautions. Before you get started, make sure you follow these safety rules for a trouble-free BBQ.
Zoom in on the Picanha
In addition to chicken, pork, especially ribs, brisket and sausages, is often grilled in churrasco. Beef, too, is often grilled in churrasco, and one piece in particular is very popular in Brazil: the picanha. The picanha is not common in France, as the meat is cut differently in different countries. In fact, in Portuguese and Brazilian butcher shops, when rump steak is cut, a piece of fat is left on one side, rather like a duck breast. Then divided into thin slices of a centimetre or two, 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, the Black Angus, which has the particularity of developing a marbled meat that lends itself particularly well to churrasco cooking, as it makes the flesh tender and juicy.
Discover our delicious recipe for marinated picanha cooked on lava stone
What to serve Churrasco with?
In Churrasqueiras, grilled meat is usually served with rice cooked with a few onions, French fries and a mixed salad (green, tomato, red cabbage, carrot). As for the picanha, it is traditionally served with grilled pineapple slices, also at the churrasco.
Have you got a few leftovers from your churrasco? Check out our tips on how to use them in other recipes.
