First bites at a Brazilian churrasco

First bites at a Brazilian churrasco

At a Brazilian churrasco, people nibble while the fire comes up. Those first bites come from the grill, over embers (brasa, live coals). They are not a fried-appetizer course.

At a glance

Region: Across Brazil
Wait for: embers (brasa, live coals), not flames
First on the fire: linguiça, queijo coalho, pão de alho
On the table later: farofa and vinagrete, once the meat starts
Not the wait food: coxinha, kibe, pastel, or a tray of fried snacks
Gear: lump charcoal, kettle grill

Safety instructions

Wait for embers, not flames. Cook fresh pork sausage to 160°F (71°C) in the center. Pink pork sausage is still raw. Bread and cheese burn if they sit over a flare; move them to the empty side of a two-zone kettle grill.

What goes on first

Fresh garlic pork sausage (linguiça) comes off first and feeds people while the beef is still going. That grill cook is Brazilian linguica on the grill.

Grilling cheese (queijo coalho) goes on the grate or a skewer. It browns and softens and does not run. The grill cook is grilled Brazilian cheese. Making the cheese is homemade queijo coalho.

Garlic bread (pão de alho) warms over the coals until the edges take color. That cook is pão de alho on the grill.

How the wait works

Wait for embers, not flames. Lump charcoal or wood burned down to brasa (embers, live coals). Check the heat with the hand test at the height the food will sit.

On a kettle grill the grate sits close to the coals. Bank a two-zone fire so the first bites can sit over the hot pile and move to the empty side when they run hot.

Farofa and vinagrete belong on the table once the meat starts coming off, not as the wait food. Toasted cassava flour: farofa. Brazilian tomato onion sauce: vinagrete.

A can of guaraná, juice, or water on the table is enough.

Next cooks

Region: Across Brazil.

Brasa Brazil