Subject matter experts share their secrets to shake up grilled meats preparation
Brazilians are so passionate barbecue, who always finds an opportunity to gather friends and relatives around the grill, preferably in the company of a cold beer. There are countless ways to barbecue, but the subject matter experts share some valuable tips below to update your classic weekend barbecue.
But first of all you have to be down to earth. With food prices soaring in recent times, it’s important to be realistic when planning your barbecue. It all starts with buying the right amount of meat per person, to avoid extra costs. “The ideal is to calculate about 450g of crude protein per adult,” advises American barbecue expert, pitmaster and member of the Tramontina Barbecue Society, Rodrigo Bueno.
Although picanha is one of the classic cuts for barbecues, the price per kilo is steep, hovering between R $ 80 and R $ 110 – values raised by the report in establishments such as butchers and supermarket chains in the capital Sao Paulo. Therefore, it is worth replacing it with cheaper cuts, such as bife de chorizo (our sirloin) and rump bonbon, which cost, on average, R $ 60 to 80 per kilo. By the way, if the idea is to save money on the barbecue, it is worth paying attention to cuts with a foreign name. In butchers and meat shops you can find shoulder steak, the Americanized name of the palette, for around R $ 74 per kilo, as well as denver steak, which is a steak with a higher price, around R $ 180 per kilo. .
Justice be done. These finer cuts are usually extracted from European breed cattle such as Angus, for example, which provide softer cuts full of marbling, i.e. fat incorporated into the meat. “Until a few years ago, the forequarter of Brazilian cattle was synonymous with hard meat, but that has changed. We no longer speak of first-class beef and second-class beef: there is first-class meat and second-class beef.” explains barbecue master José Almiro. , which runs the YouTube channel Churrasqueadas, with nearly two million subscribers.
It is also worth mentioning that barbecue is not just synonymous with beef. In addition to the triad of garlic bread, sausage and carbonated cheese, which everyone likes to start working with, chicken, wing or thigh, goes very well on the grill and has a more chambered price. “I usually make a marinade with white wine, garlic, parsley, chives, sage, salt and black pepper. I leave the chicken overnight to absorb the seasoning well,” Bueno says. Pork is also worth betting. “Today you can find all the cuts of pork possible. It’s an amazing and much cheaper option for the barbecue, as the pound of pork steak is, on average, R $ 26,” says the consultant chef and pitmaster. Paula Labaki.
Grilled vegetables are also great barbecue options, but if the idea is to feed your veggie friend, it’s best to leave a separate grill area for that alone. Another important point is to make them very golden. “You can’t be afraid of burning, because the caramelization of some vegetables makes the difference in the final result,” Paula teaches. After vegetables such as zucchini and eggplant are removed from the grill, the chef usually finishes them with a mixture of olive oil with lemon juice and zest, fleur de sel and black pepper.
Potatoes can also be cooked with the skin directly on the grill. “Once ready, I cut them in half and stuff them with a mixture of cream cheese, parmesan and butter, and then they go back to the grill. This is an excellent accompaniment to meat main courses”, teaches the parrillero Chico Mancuso, from Rincon Escondido, a space in the capital of Sao Paulo that offers courses and dinners dedicated to parrilla.
On fire
There are numerous techniques for lighting the barbecue, but be careful to avoid accidents. “The easiest way is to make a kind of cup out of paper towels, add the oil and put it in the center of the barbecue. Then just make a ‘cabaninha’ with the charcoal and throw the match in the middle,” Paula teaches. After turning on the grill, you have to wait for the right moment to start putting the meat on the grill. “The charcoal releases a lot of soot in this process, which can go to the meat and leave it with a bitter taste. So the ideal is to wait until the charcoal is red-hot,” Mancuso teaches.
With the fire out, is it time to open another beer? Yup! But it’s also time to start the barbecue. However, before throwing the first meat on the grill, it is worth thinking about the order you want to serve to your guests. “It is good to start with what prepares faster, like garlic bread and charcoal cheese,” says Almiro. Sausages go to the grill in sequence, but it is worth paying attention to the temperature of the embers. “They have to be prepared at medium heat so they don’t pop on the grill,” Paula teaches.
In the meantime, it is worth leaving a space on the grill for pork and chicken, which require longer cooking and not too strong embers. This also applies to whole pieces like beef ribs, for example, which can take 3 to 4 hours on the grill. In the meantime, it’s worth grilling smaller pieces, like flank steak, or sliced meats, like chorizo. If the idea is to serve skewers, soft coxão is a good alternative, as are chicken heart skewers, a classic of Brazilian barbecue.
salt and rest
One of the things that generates debate among barbecue experts is when the meat is seasoned with salt. There is no right or wrong: it has to do with personal taste and goals. Mancuso, for example, prefers to salt his meats before going to the grill. “If the idea is to get a rare meat, when the coarse salt on the grilled meat becomes translucent and moist, you can turn the piece. If the idea is more appropriate, just wait for the myoglobin, the liquid of the meat , to rise on the surface of the piece “, teaches the parrillero of Rincon Escondido.
Almiro, on the other hand, is in the middle and first tempering only the larger pieces. “Five minutes is enough,” explains YouTube host Churrasqueadas. Paula Labaki and Rodrigo Bueno, on the other hand, prefer to salt their meats only after they are ready. “Without salt, the crust of meat is perfect grilled, well caramelized,” explains Bueno. But no coarse salt before serving. “I usually use fleur de sel to finish, which is much gentler,” says Paula.
Another aspect that doesn’t find consensus among barbecues is the rest of the meat after it is ready. Almiro, for example, prefers to cut the meat as soon as it comes off the grill. “I like to serve meat very hot.” Bueno, on the other hand, thinks it is better to let the cut rest for two or three minutes before cutting it. “By the action of heat, the liquids move inside the meat. To make it juicier, it’s worth waiting for the liquids to distribute a little better before cutting it,” he says. And another cure to do with meats is how to cut them. “Always on the opposite side of the fibers,” Paula teaches.
The unanimity among charcoal experts is that you don’t need many utensils to prepare a good barbecue at home. First of all, it is important to have a good cutting board, as well as a special barbecue knife.
“Prefer the ones that have grooves on the side of the blade. That way the meat doesn’t stick to the knife,” Bueno guides. Another tip is to have a long-handled meat tongs and gloves to avoid possible burns. Aside from that, just put the beer to freeze and call everyone to celebrate the barbecue date.
Source: Terra
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