Skewered beef, slow-roasted cuts and gaucho fire feasts

At the heart of gaucho identity is churrasco — the open-fire barbecue that started in Rio Grande do Sul’s cattle country and spread across Brazil. Large cuts of beef, lamb, pork and chicken are seasoned simply with coarse salt, skewered, and roasted slowly over charcoal or wood embers, a style that originated with gauchos cooking fresh beef on the pampas. This is more than a set of dishes ; it’s a social ritual where family and neighbors gather around the grill for hours.