How To: Grill churrascaria-style

Churrascaria? What's that? It's a meat-lover's dream… if you're in Brazil. But you don't have to travel abroad to enjoy the meaty goodness of this awesome grilling party! A churrascaria is an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steak house that features an amazing array of spit-roasted meats. Recreate the experience at home with these tips. The churrasco grilling style was inspired by Brazilian gauchos, or cowboys, who cooked their meat on skewers over open fires.

Step 1: Select the meat
Select the meats. Churrascarias serve anywhere from three or four to a dozen or more different cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and chicken. Get some bacon; at least one meat option should be wrapped in it.

Step 2: Plan accompaniments
Plan a hot and cold buffet of salads and side dishes to accompany the parade of protein.

Step 3: Prepare the barbecue
Simply season the different cuts of meat with sea salt on each side. Then stick them on metal skewers and grill them over charcoal, cook them in a rotisserie, or roast them over a fire pit. True churrasco — the meat cooking style favored in churrascarias — is never cooked on a gas grill.

Step 4: Serve the meat table-side
Bring the cooked meats — still on the skewers — to the dinner table and slice off servings for each guest.

Step 5: Have STOP and GO signs
Provide guests with two-sided coasters, red on one side, green on the other. Ask them to display the red side if they want you to STOP bringing meat, and the green one up if they want you to GO ahead and keep the grilled goodies coming.

Step 6: Serve dessert
Offer a variety of Brazilian-style sweets; banana, coconut, and tropical fruits are popular dessert ingredients. Now revel in the glow of sending your guests home full and happy.