Churrasco
Ingredients
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- 3 pounds beef top sirloin cap (picanha) – fat cap left on
- 2 pounds fresh pork sausages (linguiça fresca)
- 1 pounds chicken hearts (~40 small chicken hearts)
- 3/4 cups coarse sea salt (sal grosso) – divided as needed
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- farofa – for serving
- molho de vinagrete – for serving
Instructions
1. Light a medium-hot charcoal fire and set up a two-zone grill (one side hotter for searing, the other cooler for finishing).
2. Trim surface sinew from the fat cap and cut the beef top sirloin cap (picanha) into 3 long strips with the grain; curve each strip into a C-shape, fat to the outside, and skewer lengthwise.
3. Rinse and thoroughly pat dry the chicken hearts, then toss with the neutral oil to lightly coat.
4. Just before grilling, shower the coarse sea salt (sal grosso) evenly over the skewered beef and the hearts; leave the sausages seasoned as they are.
5. Place the fresh pork sausages (linguiça fresca) over the cooler side, the hearts on the hot side, and the skewered beef over direct heat, fat side toward the fire.
6. Grill the hearts, turning once, until browned at the edges and just cooked through, 5–8 minutes total; move to a warm spot to hold.
7. Sear the skewered beef, turning every 3–5 minutes to render the fat and build a deep crust without flare-ups, 20–30 minutes total, until the thickest part reaches 125–130°F for medium-rare; if the exterior darkens too fast, finish over indirect heat.
8. Cook the sausages, turning occasionally, until taut, browned, and juices run clear, 10–15 minutes; move to the cool side if dripping causes flare-ups.
9. Rest the skewered beef 10 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain; knock off any excess seasoning as you carve and return slices briefly to the grill if you prefer more doneness.
10. Arrange the sliced beef, sausages, and hearts on a platter and serve with farofa and molho de vinagrete.
Churrasco is Brazil’s emblematic charcoal-grilled feast, defined by simple seasoning and live-fire technique that let great meat and rendered fat shine. The star cut is picanha, the cap-on top sirloin that cooks juicy with a crackling, salty crust, often joined by garlicky linguiça sausages and tender chicken hearts. The flavors are smoky and beef-forward, the textures contrast from crisp fat to succulent interior, and the table is completed with sides like farofa and a bright tomato-onion vinagrete.
Rooted in the gaucho traditions of southern Brazil, churrasco developed as ranch cooks skewered whole cuts and roasted them over embers in the open campo. In the 20th century, specialized churrascarias refined the craft with rotating spits and rodízio service, carving picanha tableside in thin slices. Despite modern variations, the core identity remains: coarse salt, charcoal, and skilled fire management, with minimal embellishment to honor the meat.