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Brazilian steakhouses usually feature a traditional dining style known as rodízio, where meat is grilled on skewers over open flames before being brought to the table and sliced to order. The servers parade around with various types of glistening, charred meat on thick metal skewers, where you’re free to choose which you’d like and pass on anything that doesn’t appeal to you. While the full rodízio experience is difficult for most of us to replicate at home, there are a few elements you can take into your own kitchen. We spoke with chef Antonio Iocchi, Senior Vice President of Global F&B Innovation at Fogo de Chão, one of the most popular Brazilian steakhouses in the U.S., about what kinds of knives the chefs use at the Brazilian steakhouse, and what knives you should be using at home.
The chefs and servers at Fogo de Chão use different types of knives for different purposes. “During the butchering process, Gaucho chefs typically use a classic chef’s knife when there’s no bone involved,” Iocchi says. A chef’s knife is ideal for cutting and prepping meat at home, and is a basic kitchen tool you can find in any standard knife block set, but they’re easy to purchase on their own too. My personal favorite is the Mercer Genesis Chef’s Knife, which came in my knife set in culinary school and is still used daily more than 10 years later.
The right knife is important for different tasks
If for some reason you don’t happen to have a chef’s knife, Iocchi recommends “using a knife with a slightly rounded bottom and a length between 10 to 12 inches to achieve a similar result.” A larger knife can be more difficult to wield safely, so start with a 10-inch knife or smaller if you’re not confident in your meat butchering skills.
When it’s time to slice the flame-kissed meat, Iocchi notes that the chefs “switch to a passador knife, which features a straight edge. This design ensures clean, straight cuts whether they’re slicing from a skewer or on a cutting board.” Using a passador is similar to using a long carving knife, as its shape allows it to glide through the fibers of the meat more easily. As for those of us who don’t necessarily want to invest in a niche passador knife, Iocchi recommends using something similar with a straight edge, like this Victorinox 12-Inch Slicing Knife, which can be used not only for meats but for cutting neat slices of pastries too.
Although meat is obviously the star of the show, don’t forget about the other Brazilian steakhouse dishes you need to try, like the magically light pão de queijo or savory stewed feijoada. If you’ve never been to a Fogo de Chão, they’re launching a brand new loyalty program and celebrating with a Golden Coaster Sweepstakes, in which five winners will receive free dining for a year.
