Technique

Brazilian churrasco vs. American BBQ

1 min read By Boteco Restaurant
Meat cooking over open flame

Put a Brazilian churrasqueiro and an American pitmaster in the same yard and they will agree on exactly one thing: fire. After that they part ways completely.

Salt instead of rub

Churrasco seasons with coarse salt and nothing else. No rub, no sauce, no marinade for the premium cuts. The argument is that good beef does not need help, and that anything else is covering something up.

Fast instead of low

American barbecue is a long game: low heat, hours of smoke, connective tissue broken down slowly. Churrasco is the opposite — high heat, close to the flame, cuts that are ready in minutes and served the moment they come off.

Neither is better. They are answers to different questions.

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