In our recent blog post about the differences between Brazilian barbecue and the American BBQ you’re likely more familiar with, we talked a lot about things like cuts of meat, cooking methods, and terminology.
One of the critical differences, though, is that churrasco typically doesn’t use spices or spice rubs. In Brazil, we love the meat for what it is, which is why it’s cooked over a flame with nothing more than a crust of rock salt to help augment the natural flavors of the meat.
So why are we writing a whole post about spice rubs if we don’t use spice rubs? Well, that’s just the trick, isn’t it? It’s not that we don’t use spice rubs; it’s that we enjoy a lot of churrasco without spice rubs. We do still have and use them, both throughout Brazil and in our very own Texas de Brazil restaurants.
In fact, if you look at our menu, while you see plenty of plain meats, you also see options like our barbecued pork ribs, spicy sirloin, and garlic picanha. All of these are made using spices and bring wonderful flavors to the meats.
So, whether you want to just experience meat the way the meat is meant to be enjoyed, or you want to layer it in spices and have a rich and flavorsome meal, we’ve got you covered. At Texas de Brazil, we’ve tried to make our menu something we can be proud of, which can satisfy both Brazilians who want a taste of home and Americans who want to try something new without straying too far afield.
Table of Contents
The Main Spices in Brazilian Cooking
Before getting into spice mixes, let’s talk a bit about the main flavors you’re likely to encounter when you’re eating Brazilian food.
There’s a bit of a myth that Brazilians don’t put spices on foods. Churrasco is, actually, one of the main reasons why this myth is perpetuated. We love being able to enjoy meat for what it is! When you try different cuts of meat, you can enjoy different flavors, different textures, and even different cooking methods, all of which tend to be hidden by sauces and spices.
Let’s be real here; there’s a ton of flavor packed into the gently rendered fat of a rich cut of meat. It’s why Wagyu beef is so prized. It’s also why we love our Picanha, a cut seemingly specifically designed to saturate a lean piece of meat with delicious rendered fat while grilling it over a fire.
It’s fine if you like to taste and enjoy a sauce or spice rub! We have nothing against it. It’s just that, in the absence of that spice, we still love what the meat itself has to offer, where we find that many Americans don’t have as fine an awareness of the details between different cuts and what they have to offer.
Meanwhile, just about everything else we have in Brazil has some mixture of flavors, with exceptions for immigrant foods from other cultures, like sushi. Whether it’s the smoky flavor coming from smoked meats or spices like pepper, garlic, and onion, they stand proud and bring a lot of flavor to the rice and beans that underpin every meal in Brazil.
What herbs and spices are you most likely going to find in Brazilian food?
- Cumin. Cumin has a powerful and distinctive flavor and aroma, and while you might largely associate it with things like tacos or chili, it’s a very useful component for a variety of Brazilian dishes and has been a staple since we discovered it.
- Oregano. One of the staple herbs in Italian cooking, it should be no surprise that we love to put it in everything, since a huge amount of our food culture in the 19th century centered around Italian immigrants.
- Nutmeg. A very flexible spice often used in sweet desserts, which we love, nutmeg can also have a distinctive role in savory dishes as well. Did you know it works really well with poultry?
- Garlic and onion. These are staple aromatics for a reason; they’re just so darn good on everything. Onions, in particular, are a staple in practically any recipe you find in Brazil that isn’t a dessert.
- Parsley. This one is interesting because parsley has a very mild flavor, and it’s hard to ever eat something and think, “Wow, that’s parsley!” But it really does add a certain depth to herbal mixes and flavor profiles that you might find yourself missing if you leave it out.
- Cilantro/coriander. Did you know that cilantro and coriander are the same herb? Cilantro is just a name some nations use for the leaves, while coriander is the seeds. Some places don’t even make the distinction and call them both coriander! Some people don’t like cilantro because of a pesky genetic quirk, but for everyone else, it’s an enjoyable addition.
- Mustard. If your mind jumps to the vinegar-forward yellow mustard, you’re a bit off target, though. Mustard seed has an altogether different, more pungent flavor, and it really works well with meats and certain spice rubs.
So all of these, in addition to your usual flavors like smoke from smoked meat and the ever-present salt, make up a lot of the key flavors of Brazilian cuisine.
There are also some flavors that are often added to Brazilian dishes that aren’t what you might classically think of as spices. One of the big ones is orange! Orange, either in the form of whole chunks of orange, slices of orange, or the zest of oranges, is a frequent addition.
What about spicy peppers?
One concern some people have is whether or not Brazilian food is spicy, as in capsaicin-heat, scoville-measured spicy. After all, Mexican, Latin American, and other regional cuisines are often known for their intense heat.
The truth is, most Brazilians don’t actually care much for the spicy peppers. Our hot sauces, when they’re available, tend to be more focused on the flavor of the peppers than on the heat itself. Even when we make hot-spicy foods, the heat levels are fairly mild compared to some of the crazy things people do these days.
That’s not to say there are no spicy foods to be found, of course. Some regions of Brazil, especially the Bahian region, have serious influences from North African cuisine. North African cuisine is largely dominated by spicy flavors, and it definitely shows.
While you’re likely to find some of the usual culprits, like jalapenos and habaneros, the most common Brazilian pepper is the malagueta pepper. This pepper is fairly small and fairly potent. Scientifically rated, it’s somewhere in the 60,000 to 100,000 Scoville range. That’s 5-10x hotter than jalapenos, on par with Bird’s Eye Thai chilis, and lower than habaneros and scotch bonnet peppers.
Of course, if you’re one of those Americans who tries Ghost Pepper sauces for fun and loves the Carolina Reaper, the Malagueta is a quaint and light heat. If you’re not a fan of spicy foods, though, you’d best avoid it.
Exploring Brazilian Spice Rubs and Mixes
One thing you might encounter, especially if you visit Brazil, is that you don’t often find just a rub of spices or a spice mix, the same way you might in America. That’s even before you get into the American culture of “secret family recipe” mixes for BBQ.
Brazilian recipes often use a few spices, but the exact spices and the proportions used tend to vary by family. Really, it’s a lot like cooking anywhere in the world; you find the flavors you and the people close to you like, and you use those, balancing them for your preferences.
Still, there are some spice mixes you can explore, whether you want to recreate Brazilian cuisine at home, follow our recipe for spicy picanha, or just see what a “refined” version of a mix is.
Before you get up in arms about how these aren’t “authentic” Brazilian or how they don’t reflect your experiences in Brazil, don’t worry. Brazil is a huge country with many different regions, all of which have their own food cultures. We can only put together a few examples, and they certainly can’t represent the entire country.
If you have a spice rub or flavor profile you really like that came from Brazil, feel free to let us know!
Tempero Baiano
First up is this Brazilian BBQ mix from Bahia. Being from Bahia, you know it’s going to have some actually spicy elements, but you can easily customize it to the specific spice level you prefer.
You’ll need:
- 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika (Not smoked, ideally)
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin
- 1 Tablespoon Cilantro
- 2 Teaspoons Onion Powder
- 1.5 Teaspoons Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Coriander
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder (or Granulated Garlic)
- 0.5 Teaspoons Ginger
- Cayenne or another spicy pepper to taste.
Mix all of this together and store it in an airtight container for up to a year, though the longer it goes, the more flavor it will lose as the ingredients dry out. To use it, just rub the spices on a meat before cooking it. You can also add some of it to things like soups, rice, or other dishes if you like the flavor profile.
Simple Steak Seasoning
Next up, we have a fairly basic seasoning mix for grilled steaks. You want to be light on the spices for a good steak – and really, the best steaks only need salt and fire to bring out their best qualities – but if you’re working with a sub-par piece of meat, some spice can go a long way.
This spice mix is mild and acts to sort of mimic the experience of Feijoada and other Brazilian dishes on a steak dinner:
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander
- 1 Tablespoon Mustard Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika
As with any spice mix, just mix these up and store them in an airtight container until you want to use them. The result is pretty much exactly what you expect from reading the ingredients: salty, pungent with mustard and garlic, with the smoky flavor from the paprika coming through.
Flexible Meat Seasoning
Another potential mix is something with a few more ingredients, including some you might have a harder time finding if you don’t go to a specialty store.
It’s also a little more flexible, so we’re just listing ingredients rather than amounts so you can tailor it to your needs:
- Salt
- Pepper
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Annatto
- Fennel
- Paprika
- Dried Mushroom Powder
- Cinnamon
- Spearmint
This is a fairly exotic mix, even for Brazilians, but it’s not so far out of the ordinary that you wouldn’t see it here and there. It tends to mix well on meats that have a green sauce on the side.
Our Spicy Rub
Another option you might consider is the Texas de Brazil spicy rub. This is the same rub we use on the spicy items in our kitchen, and it goes great with some of the meats from our butcher shop, too.
Here’s the trick: we’re not going to list the ingredients here. Instead, why not just buy a three-pack of the rub and give it a try yourself? You can find it in our market here. Alternatively, if you want to try it alongside one of our favorite cuts of meat, you can order some picanha alongside a pack of the rub. Both options are great and will leave you with some spice left over for other purposes!
Not sold? We’d love to let you try it out before you make a whole order. Just find your closest Texas de Brazil location and stop in for dinner. With locations all across the United States and in select countries around the world, we’re sure you’ll find one to visit. If you have any questions about our spice rub, our restaurant, or anything else, please feel free to let us know!
