A RODIZIO IS AN EATING EXPERIENCE OF A KIND

Rodízio (pronounced [ʁoˈdʒiziu] in Brazil, is a style of restaurant service in Brazilian restaurants. One pays a fixed price (preço fixo) and the waiters bring samples of food to each customer at several times throughout the meal, until the customers signify that they have had enough. In churrascarias, servers come to the table with knives and a skewer, on which are speared various kinds of meat, most commonly local cuts of beef, pork, or chicken. There are other rodízio style restaurants, such as ones serving pasta or pizza rodízio, where various pizzas are brought on trays. Rodízio style sushi restaurants are also common.

Foods served at a churrascaria often include:

• Filet mignon chunks wrapped in bacon
• Turkey chunks wrapped in bacon (these two are usually two-bite sized)
• Sirloin steak (cut semicircular and served in slices)
• Roast beef (served like sirloin steak)
• Rump Cover (called Picanha in Portuguese)
• Beef short ribs
• Lamb
• Pork ribs
• Chouriço or some other spicy Iberian pork sausage
• Chicken hearts
• Grilled dark-meat chicken
• Grilled pineapple or banana (meant as a palate cleanser between courses)

Most rodízio courses are served right off the cooking spit, and are sliced or plated right at the table. Sometimes they are accompanied with fried potatoes, fried bananas, collard greens, black beans, and rice (served buffet style).

In many restaurants, the diner is provided with a colored card, red on one side and green on the other. Accordingly, the servers will only bring more meat if the card is flipped to the green side.

Source: Wikipedia

PICANHA - A SIGNATURE STEAK

WHERE´S THE BEST MEAT IN BRAZIL FROM?

The Pampas (from Quechua pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American lowlands, covering more than 750,000 km² (289,577 sq mi). These plains contain unique wildlife because of the different terrains around it. Some of this wildlife includes the rhea, the pampas deer, several species of armadillos, the pampas fox, the White-eared opossum, the Elegant Crested Tinamou, and several other species.
Frequent wildfires ensure that only small plants such as grasses flourish, and trees are rare. The dominant vegetation types are grassy prairie and grass steppe in which numerous species of the grass genus Stipa are particularly conspicuous. "Pampas Grass" (Cortaderia selloana) is an iconic species of the Pampas. Vegetation typically includes perennial grasses and herbs, which constitute unique foder for the grazing cattle. Different strata of grasses occur because of gradients of water availability. 
The gaúchos, or inhabitants of Rio Grande do Sul state, strongly cultivate the traditions of the Pampas, such as drinking mate (known as chimarrão drunk in special gourd cups), eating the typical barbecue, known as churrasco.
When it came time for a harvest dinner on the area’s ranches during the state’s pioneering era, meat was first and foremost. Big slabs of beef would be roasted over open fires, and swords heavy with chunks of pork, lamb and poultry would be turned over the coals. Seasoned by salt and smoke, the meats were sliced onto plates and enjoyed by the gathered group. Today, waiters at steak houses throughout Brazil serve huge skewers of meat, with knives at the ready that would do well in any Zorro remake, and they slice meat until you moan, “nao mais” (no more).



The Gaucho from Bruno Maestrini on Vimeo.



Want to learn how to make a true gaucho barbecue?
http://domingaogaucho.musicblog.com.br/217429/CHURRASCO/
http://gourmetbrasilia.blogspot.com.br/2011/03/o-nome-picanha-vem-da-pancada-no-boi.html