Brazilian Churrasco with 3 Sauces

You can’t think of Brazil without thinking about its sensational churrasco barbecue dishes.

Try these beautifully tender cuts of beef infused with a delicious blend of flavours, served alongside not one, but 3 mouth-watering sauces that are sure to transport you to the streets of Brazil. And the best part? You can save the leftovers to spice up a salad or pop into a panini for a flavourful sandwich.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

For the meat:

  • 1kg beef skirt, flank or bavette steak

  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed

  • 2 limes, freshly squeezed

  • 1 ½ tablespoons of red wine vinegar

  • 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 small onion, grated

  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds

  • 3 teaspoons chili flakes

  • 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil

For the sauces (makes 250ml each):

For the Creamy Aji Verde Sauce:

  • 250g of coriander with leaves and stems

  • 1 thumb-size green chili

  • 2 chopped spring onions

  • 1 clove of garlic, chopped

  • Juice of 1 lime

  • 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

  • 2 tablespoons of sour cream

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

  • 250g of coriander leaves

  • 240g of parsley leaves

  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

  • 1 small pickling onion, chopped

  • 1 thumb-size green chili, halved

  • 80ml of extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 ½ tablespoons of white wine vinegar

For the Smoky Tomato Sauce:

  • 1 small red onion, chopped

  • 1 small handful of coriander

  • 125g of cherry tomatoes

  • ½ red capsicum

  • 2 teaspoons of tomato paste (concentrated)

  • 50ml of extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 ½ tablespoons of red wine vinegar

  • 1 ½ teaspoons of smoked paprika

  • Pinch of sugar

METHOD

For the meat:

  1. Cut the steak in up to 6 even portions and season with salt and black pepper on both side. Put the steak in a shallow dish.

  2. Put the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and mix them together. Pour the marinade over the steaks, making sure to cover all sides thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight and remove one hour before cooking to bring the meat back up to room temperature.

  3. Preheat your barbecue until very hot. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry on a paper towel. Thread two long metal skewers through two of the steaks and then repeat with the others.

  4. Grill each skewer for 3 to 4 minutes on each side and then rest for 10 minutes.

For the Creamy Aji Verde Sauce:

  1. Mix all of the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Pour into a bowl and season with a little salt and pepper.

  2. For the Chimichurri Sauce:

  3. Chop up all the herbs and mix them into a bowl together with the garlic, onion and chilli. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar, then season to taste with salt.

  4. For the Smoky Tomato Sauce:

  5. Mix all of the ingredients together in a food processor and pulse until chopped. You can also do this by hand and then season with salt and black pepper.