Headnote

This is the Brazilian grill at its most direct: seasoned beef, pork sausage, and coalho cheese cooked over fierce heat until each element yields its own distinct texture. A sharp vinaigrette salsa cuts through the richness, while farofa brings dryness, toast, and structure to the plate. The result is generous, elemental, and balanced by contrast.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Grilled meat and cheese platter
Cuisine or origin: Brazilian
Course type: Main course
Yield: 2 servings
Serving size: 320 g
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate

Equipment

2 metal or soaked wooden skewers
Heavy grill pan or charcoal grill
Medium sauté pan
Mixing bowl
Small bowl
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Tongs
Spatula

Ingredients

For the skewers

240 g beef, cut into 30 g cubes

120 g pork sausage, cut into 30 g pieces

120 g coalho cheese, cut into 30 g pieces

6 g vegetable oil

4 g salt

2 g black pepper

For the vinaigrette salsa

80 g tomato, finely diced

50 g onion, finely diced

40 g green bell pepper, finely diced

20 g scallion, finely sliced

10 g vegetable oil

4 g salt

1 g black pepper

For the farofa

70 g cassava flour

14 g vegetable oil

2 g salt

Method

1. Prepare the vinaigrette salsa first. Combine the tomato, onion, green bell pepper, and scallion in a bowl. Add the vegetable oil, salt, and black pepper, then mix thoroughly. Let it stand for 15 minutes so the vegetables soften slightly and the flavors become integrated. The finished salsa should be bright, lightly juicy, and sharply seasoned.

2. Make the farofa. Set a medium sauté pan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the cassava flour and salt, then stir continuously for 4 to 6 minutes. The flour should turn evenly golden and smell nutty, with a dry, sandy texture that remains loose rather than clumping. Transfer immediately to a bowl.

3. Season the skewers. Toss the beef and pork sausage separately with the salt and black pepper. Lightly coat the beef, sausage, and coalho cheese with the vegetable oil. Thread the ingredients onto the skewers, alternating the components so the cheese is protected between meat pieces where possible.

4. Grill the skewers. Heat the grill pan or grill over high heat until very hot. Cook the skewers for 8 to 10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes so the surfaces brown evenly. The beef should be well seared outside and still juicy within, the sausage fully heated through with rendered fat, and the cheese browned on the exterior while remaining firm and elastic, not melted away.

5. Rest briefly. Remove the skewers from the heat and rest for 2 minutes. This settles the juices in the meat and keeps the cheese intact on the skewer.

Plating and serving

Arrange the skewers across warm plates. Spoon the vinaigrette salsa alongside, not over the meat, and finish with a neat mound of farofa to one side. The plate should read as contrast: char, acidity, and dry crunch in clear balance.

Professional notes

Keep the grill very hot; churrasco depends on direct color before overcooking can begin. The farofa must be toasted, not merely warmed, or it will taste raw and heavy. The salsa should remain crisp and lightly juicy, providing the necessary cut against the richness of the meat and cheese.