By: David H. Urmann
Everyone loves grilled barbecues. It is healthy and very delicious. It could be prepared in different ways.
We love grilled foods. It is a healthier choice because it does not use oil in cooking, and the meat is tastier and juicier. We grill fish, meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables but the favorite of most people is barbeque. We prepare it for our everyday meals, while having picnics or small gatherings, or organizing a party.
The common barbecue we know are placed in sticks, but it could just be any meat smoked until tender and then served to guests. These are a favorite almost anywhere but it varies slightly per country. For example, there is Brazil and Korea that cook barbecues in their own unique ways.
The Brazilian barbeque is a grilled food done by a distinctive Churrasco technique. Any kind of meat may be used in the preparation, like chicken, pork or beef. The prepared meat is cooked in direct flame. It is seasoned sparingly to let the natural flavors of the meat stand out.
The main seasoning is what they called the marine salt famous in Brazil. While the meat is being cooked, it is rotated constantly which preserves the juices and flavors of the meat. The usual variety is served with rice, farofa and native drinks. Farofa is famous seasoned manioc flour that is well known in Brazil.
According to history, there were Brazilians who brought cattle-raising in the South America. This started their love for barbecues which they call churrasco. It became a traditional staple food of the Brazilians especially the gaúchos or cowboys. They made their Churrascos very fashionable.
It is very common now to see many restaurants in Brazil that offer these as their specialty. People called these restaurants as the churrascaria de rodízio. Waiters go around to offer portions or slices of Brazilian barbeque on the plate of their customers. The popular Churrascarias are Esplanada Grill and Porcão in Ipanema, Giuseppe Grill in Leblon and Porcão in Parque do Flamengo. Even the vegetarians are offered with the salad buffets that are available in these places. A churrasco knife is made specifically for this type of food used in cutting the churrasco every time they prepare it for meals.
Korean Barbeque is a popular family meal in Korea. This consists of all types of meat especially beef, chicken and pork. Koreans have their own method of grilling. They marinate the meat with delicious sauces from different ingredients mixed with fruit juices. In the Korean restaurants, they always provide gas or charcoal grills on diner’s table where diners do their own grilling on the table. The grilling area is usually located at the center of the table.
Koran barbecue has a lot of varieties. Some meats are marinated before grilling, while others are grilled as is. The most popular variety is the one they call the galbi. It is barbecue made of marinated beef short ribs. The locals just love it but but the dish is popular worldwide too. This is served in full meal with rice, miso soup and panchan. Panchan is a very spicy side dish served as an appetizer.
In America, barbecues are scant of seasonings, and the meat is grilled in large chunks. Most of them want it semi-cooked only, just to tenderize the meat. They want it to be juicy in every slice. They would top it with gravy, served with potatoes and wine.
