Churrascaria Style Picanha Recipes

PICANHA RECIPE | BRAZILIAN CULOTTE STEAKS

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to 350F.
• In a small bowl, mix the sofrito, the mustard, the dry parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.
• Cut the meat the same direction as the fibers into 4 steaks.
• Season the steaks with salt and the lemon pepper, then rub the sofrito mixture on the steaks.
• Add the steaks to the grill, and grill them on all sides to your favorite doneness.
• Remove the steaks from the grill, and let them rest for 5 mins before slicing them.
• While the steaks are resting make the farofa.
• On a stove top melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onions to the pan and sauté until the onions are transparent, about 2 minutes.
• Add the eggs to the pan, and scramble them gently.
• When the eggs are cooked, but still soft, add the cassava and stir.
• Remove the pan from the heat, add the cilantro and stir to combine.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Slice the steaks across the fibers, and serve with the farofa.

CHURRASCARIA-STYLE PICANHA

Steps:

• Mix crushed garlic and salt together in a bowl until combined into a paste.
• Rub garlic paste onto meat until covered. Place into a bowl; cover with lemon juice. Marinate until the meat has absorbed desired flavor, 30 minutes to 4 hours. Remove meat from the lemon juice. Baste with olive oil.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Cook meat on the preheated grill, turning frequently until the outer edges are charred and center is uncooked, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; slice off charred edges, cutting against the grain. Return the uncooked center portion of the meat back to the grill. Cook until the meat begins to firm and is hot and slightly pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).

BRAZILIAN CHURRASCO (MIXED GRILL)

Steps:

• Step 1: Make the marinade for the chicken: In a small mixing bowl, combine the garlic, cilantro or parsley, if using, lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper and whisk to mix. Place the chicken thighs in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over them. Seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally so the thighs marinate evenly. ShareTweetPin367 Shares Step 2: In the meantime, trim the sirloin cap of any silverskin. Slice it crosswise against the grain into 2-inch-wide pieces. Season generously on all sides with salt and pepper, then form into a "C" shape with the fat cap on the outside. Skewer the pieces of meat through the bottom and top sides to maintain the "C" shape. ShareTweetPin367 Shares Step 3: Skewer the kielbasa and the vegetables on separate skewers. Brush the onions on all sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. ShareTweetPin367 Shares Step 4: Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade (discard the marinade) and pat dry with paper towels. Skewer the chicken thighs. ShareTweetPin367 Shares Step 5: If you have a Brazilian-style rotisserie, like a Carson, set it up according to the manufacturer's instructions. Build a wood or charcoal fire and preheat to medium-high (400 degrees). Insert the skewers in the sockets, beef and kielbasa on the top row, chicken, onions, and peppers on the bottom row. Spit-roast until each is cooked to taste: about 35 to 40 minutes for the chicken and onions, 45 minutes for the beef, and 30 minutes for the peppers and kielbasa. Rotate the skewers every 10 minutes or so (or as needed) so each ingredient spends some time close to the coals. You may need longer or shorter cooking times, depending on the heat of your fire. Cook the chicken through (to an internal temperature of 165 degrees). Serve the beef crusty on the outside and medium-rare (130 to 135 degrees) inside. ShareTweetPin367 Shares Step 6: Serve the meats with the salsa. ShareTweetPin367 Shares

BRAZILIAN PICANHA

Steps:

• Pound with a meat mallet salt in a fabric bag; the largest pieces should be like rice.
• If desired combine salt, garlic, and olive oil.
• Score the fatty blanket on the picanha by making criss-crossing cuts into the fatty blanket covering one side of the picanha.
• When preparing a picanha for the skewer cut against the grain. The picanha is a big piece of meat and should be cut again at home before it is grilled. If you'd like to serve it on a big skewer like they do in churrascaria restaurants, cut the picanha in 3 pieces on a angle perpendicular to the fibers running diagonally through the picanha. Then bend these pieces into semicircles, fat-side out, and place them on one large oiled skewer. This allows you to slice off delicatley tender pieces wothout having to remove the picanha from the skewer. You can then rub the exposed surface with more rock salt and grill it some more. Every slice will have that outer, salty, crusty grilled deliciousness of the first slice. This is how they do it in churrascaria restaurants.
• OR When preparing a picanha in steaks cut with the grain. If you don't have the large skewer, you need not fret. You can grill a picanha home-style in thick steaks. This way is not as flashy, but I think the results are superior. When dividing the whole picanha into steaks, cut the meat in the same directions as the fibers. When you slice the grilled steaks to serve you will be slicing across the fibers creating deliciously juicy morsels each with their own little fatty edge.I have on more than one occasion cut the picanha the wrong way and it was still delicious. Like I said, picanhas are really hard to mess up.
• Roll the pieces of picanha in rock salt.
• Grill the steaks fat-side up for a few minutes until a little juice leaks out of the top of the steaks. If you are grilling on the big skewer, both sides are the same, there is no fat-side. Turn the steaks onto their sides to grill for a few more minutes. Finally grill fat-side down moving the steaks away from the hottest part of the fire to avoid over-cooking and to reduce the chance of the fire flaring up from the dripping fat. Grill to your desired doneness. I use the finger poke to know if the meat is done. Try not to puncture the meat when grilling.
• Remove the finished meats and tap them with the side of a knife to knock off any extra rocks of salt. Let the meat rest a few minutes before slicing.

CHURRASCARIA-STYLE PICANHA

Steps:

• Mix crushed garlic and salt together in a bowl until combined into a paste.
• Rub garlic paste onto meat until covered. Place into a bowl; cover with lemon juice. Marinate until the meat has absorbed desired flavor, 30 minutes to 4 hours. Remove meat from the lemon juice. Baste with olive oil.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Cook meat on the preheated grill, turning frequently until the outer edges are charred and center is uncooked, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; slice off charred edges, cutting against the grain. Return the uncooked center portion of the meat back to the grill. Cook until the meat begins to firm and is hot and slightly pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).