The hand test is how a churrasco fire is checked for heat. Hold an open palm at the height the meat will sit, facing the embers, and count. When the heat makes the hand pull away, that count is the heat at that height. It costs nothing. It is not a doneness test. Finish temperature still takes an instant-read thermometer. The kit is on What to buy.
Safety instructions
Keep your hand out of flames. This test is over embers. Start farther from the bed than the meat will sit so you can feel the heat without burning. Count, then move closer only if it is still easy. Pull away before it hurts. This is a second or two of heat, not a hold. Embers only, not flames. Use a thermometer for doneness.
How to do it
- Wait for embers, not flames. Lump charcoal or wood burned down to brasa.
- Start farther from the bed, or higher above it, than the meat will sit, then move in to the exact height the meat will sit, not over the middle of the bed if the meat will sit at the edge.
- Count seconds until the hand has to pull away. If it burns, pull your hand back.
- Move the meat, the grate, or the skewer until the count matches the cook.
The edges of a bed are cooler than the center. Test where the meat will actually sit.
The counts
- About 2 to 3 seconds: hot enough for a beef crust. That is the searing side of a two-zone fire.
- About 3 to 4 seconds: a long rib cook, the 40–50 cm (16–20 in) band for beef plate ribs (costela) and zebu hump (cupim).
- About 5 seconds or more: the empty side of a two-zone kettle grill, where the meat finishes.
- About 7 seconds: young chicken (galeto) at about 25 cm (10 in) from the embers.
- Cannot hold 1 second: too close. Raise the meat or wait for the bed to settle.
A kettle grill grate often sits around 10 cm (4 in) from the coals, closer than most Brazilian beef wants. That is why two zones and a raise-or-lower grate matter. The centimetre numbers live on how far picanha sits from the charcoal.
What it is not
It does not tell you when the inside of the meat is done. Pull temperatures still come from a thermometer. Use embers, not flames. Flames on the meat are a mistake; plant the skewer farther back or move to the empty side until the flare dies.
Next cooks
- How far picanha sits from the charcoal
- Two-zone fire on a kettle grill
- How to grill young chicken (galeto)
- Fogo de chão
- What to buy
Region: Across Brazil.
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