Churrasco (Portuguese: [ʃuˈʁasku], Spanish: [tʃuˈrasko]) is a Portuguese and Spanish term referring to beef or grilled meat more generally, differing across Latin America and Europe, but a prominent feature in the cuisines of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, Uruguay, and other Latin American countries. The related term churrascaria (or churrasqueria) is mostly understood to be a steakhouse.
A Churrascaria is a restaurant serving grilled meat, many offering as much as you can eat: the waiters move around the restaurant with the skewers, slicing meat onto the client's plate.[1] This serving style is called espeto corrido or rodízio, and it's quite popular in southern Brazil.
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In Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay a churrasco refers to any cut of beef that is sliced slightly thin as a steak and grilled over hot coals or on a very hot skillet. Gauchos would have grilled churrasco as part of their asado, now the national dish of both countries, served with potato salad.
In the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico it always refers to skirt steak, cooked on a barbecue grill. The chimichurri sauce is optional, since the meat is very savory with just a slight hint of sea salt that is sprinkled over the meat during cooking. It is also customary to replace chimichurri sauce with Pique criollo or Ajilimójili sauce.
In Ecuador churrasco is a staple food of the Coast Region, specially Guayaquil. The dish's main ingredient is the grilled steak that is seasoned with chimichurri, it is served with plantains, white rice, French fries, a fried egg, and slices of avocado.
In Guatemala, churrasco is regarded as a typical dish, often eaten in familiar gatherings and festive occasions. It is usually served topped with chirmol, a red sauce containing chopped tomatoes and onions, and accompanied by corn, guacamole, grilled potatoes, stewed black beans, rice and tortillas.
In Chile, churrasco refers to a thin cut of steak which varies depending on the desired quality of the sandwich. The slices are grilled and served on a toasted bun, usually accompanied with tomato, avocado and mayonnaise, in the case of a churrasco italiano. Another popular dish, churrasco a lo pobre ("poor man's churrasco"), consists of a churrasco served with French fries, fried egg, and caramelized onions.
In Brazil, churrasco is the term for a barbecue (similar to the Argentine, Uruguayan, Paraguayan and Chilean asado) which originated in southern Brazil. Brazilian churrasco contains a variety of meats which may be cooked on a purpose-built "churrasqueira", a barbecue grill or barbecue, often with supports for spits or skewers.[2] Portable "churrasqueiras" are similar to those used to prepare the Argentine, Paraguayan and Uruguayan asado, with a grill support, but many Brazilian "churrasqueiras" do not have grills, only the skewers above the embers. The meat may alternatively be cooked on large metal or wood skewers resting on a support or stuck into the ground and roasted with the embers of charcoal (wood may also be used, especially in the State of Rio Grande do Sul).
In Portugal, Frango de Churrasco with piri piri (a kind of salty roasted chicken cooked on the churrasqueira, spiced with hot red chili sauce) is very popular and appreciated. Portuguese churrasco and chicken dishes are very popular in countries with Portuguese communities, such as Canada, Australia, United States, Venezuela and South Africa. Popular for its all-you-can-eat buffets, the Chopperia chain of churrasco restaurants may be found throughout Lisbon and in other large cities.
The term churrasco is used in former Portuguese colonies—a Churrasco Moçambicano is a grilled meat dish from Mozambique, for instance.
In Galicia, churrasco refers almost exclusively to grilled pork or beef spare-ribs. Galicians who emigrated to America in the 20th century took the recipe for churrasco. Nowadays many Galicians of all social classes prepare a churrascada.
In North America, Churrasco is the model name for rotisserie/grills manufactured by Hickory Industries, Inc.