A churrasqueira is the grill. Brazilian houses use a few common kinds. Most of them burn wood or charcoal down to embers. The meat sits on a grate or on long skewers. You control the heat by how far the meat sits from the coals.
Shop links on this page: I may earn a commission. Same price for you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Brazilian cooks set meat 20–50 cm (8–20 in) from the embers depending on the cut, which is why a mid or high grill has to raise and lower.
Built-in brick (churrasqueira de alvenaria)
This is the usual unit in a Brazilian house. It is brick or concrete, built into a wall or a backyard kitchen, with a chimney. The firebox holds the coals. There is often a grate (grelha) and a place for long skewers (espetos) at more than one height. You raise or lower the meat. You do not turn a knob.
Precast concrete (pré-moldada)
A ready-made backyard unit. Cheaper than hiring a mason. Same layout: a box for coals, a chimney, a grate, and often a rack for skewers. It sits in the yard. It is not portable.
Stainless with a motor (inox/ espeto giratório)
A metal box, often stainless steel, with long skewers that turn. Common at bigger home fires and small events. The motor turns the espetos so you do not walk the line as often. The heat is still coals under or beside the meat.
Portable with a lid (bafo/ portátil)
A closed metal box. The lid holds steam and smoke. People call this bafo. The cook is wetter and smokier than an open brick unit.
Grate (grelha) vs skewers (espeto)
Many units have both. Beef on the skewer is the usual churrasco geometry: the meat hangs or rests beside and above the embers, and you turn it. A grate is for linguiça, pão de alho, queijo coalho, and smaller pieces. See what a Brazilian churrasco actually uses andhow far picanha sits from the charcoal.
Fogo de chão
In the countryside, especially the south, the fire sits on the ground. Iron stakes lean around it. That method is fogo de chão: embers on the ground. That method is in ground-ember barbecue (fogo de chão).
Small balcony and apartment units
Apartments use a smaller charcoal unit, and sometimes gas. The idea is the same, just a smaller fire. Building rules often limit charcoal or open flame. Keep the unit legal for the building. Fuel is a separate question: charcoal vs gas.
A home kettle grill
A kettle grill works if that is what you have. The grate sits close to the coals. That is fine for a first fire. For chicken and beef the way this fire is meant, you want a grill you can raise and lower, or long skewers at more than one height. A two-zone kettle grill method is in how to run a two-zone fire on a Weber kettle grill. For the rest of the kit, see starter gear for Brazilian barbecue at home.
What to buy
The grill is the purchase. Mid and high have to let you set how far the meat sits from the coals, for chicken and for beef. A kettle grill grate sits too close. Full kit: What to buy.
- Low: Weber Smokey Joe 14-inch — a named portable kettle grill that holds a fire. The grate is close to the coals.
- Usual mid: Bacana Grills 7-skewer stainless churrasqueira — motorized espetos and a top rack farther from the fire. Chicken and beef both fit.
- High: Wildwood Brazilian rotisserie, 7 to 11 skewers — masonry or drop-in. The rest grill can sit at more than one height.
Next cooks
Region: Across Brazil.
Leave a Reply