Chislic, also known as picanha, is a Brazilian beef dish made from small slices of lean cuts of beef such as sirloin or tenderloin.
What Is Chislic?
The word “chislic” derives from the Tupi-Guarani languages, which are spoken by indigenous people in Brazil.
It means “small piece (of meat)” and was first used to describe the way it would be prepared before being cooked — like how you might prepare chicken wings for your friends and family.
However, today, this term has come to mean different types of dishes including churrasco, pernil, carne seca, and even caldo de galinha.
Chislic is typically served with rice, beans, eggs, salad, and other accompaniments.
Unlike some traditional food recipes, there aren’t many set rules when creating a chislic recipe because each person cooks their own version differently depending on what they have available at home.
For example, some prefer using more onions than others, while others may add extra spices to give their chislic its unique flavor.
The key thing to remember about a good chislic recipe is that the final product should be moist but not wet, so make sure to follow these tips if you want to create a delicious dish!
What Are The Ingredients In A Chislic Recipe?
The main ingredient for this recipe is chislic which is a cut of beef that has been taken off its bone and then sliced into thin strips.
The second important component to any chislic recipe is onion, garlic, tomatoes, oil, salt, pepper, cilantro, oregano, sugar, and vinegar.
You will need some fresh herbs like parsley and coriander if you have them at home, but they can be replaced with dried ones if necessary.
You may use red wine vinegar instead of white balsamic vinegar.
While these ingredients are all essential, there are many variations on how people prepare their chislic recipes.
Some prefer more tomato sauce while others like to keep it simple by using only olive oil, onions, and garlic.
If you want to learn about other possible additions to your chislic recipe, check out our list of 10 different types of chislic recipes.
How Do You Make Chislic?
A chislic recipe typically consists of thin strips of beef that have been marinated and then cooked over an open flame.
The process usually involves frying the strips on a grill pan with high heat to sear them, then finishing it off by grilling them until they’re fully cooked through.
Ingredients for a chislic recipe
- 1 lb (500 grams) beef steak cut into bite-sized strips
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lemon juice to taste
Preparation for a chislic recipe
To prepare your chislic recipe, start by taking the strips of meat out of their packaging.
You can either use tongs to remove the meat individually or put all of the strips together onto a cutting board and slice them up using kitchen shears.
Once you have sliced the beef into smaller pieces, season your beef with salt and pepper.
Then add some lemon juice to help draw out any excess moisture from the meat.
The next step depends on how much time you want to spend preparing your chislic recipe.
If you plan to cook this dish right away, simply place the seasoned meat onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze it so it will be easier to transfer to a skillet when cooking it later.
However, if you would like to slow cook the beef before serving, you should preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit (135 C).
Place the frozen beef directly into the oven, leaving it there for about 30 minutes, flipping the strips halfway through cooking.
After the meat has finished cooking, remove it from the oven and let it cool down while you prepare the rest of your chislic recipe.
What Is The History Of Chislic?
The origin and evolution of chislic can be traced back to the 19th century in Brazil when it was first created by Portuguese immigrants, who were the majority population at this time.
In 1894, an immigrant named Francisco de Assis Ferreira Carvalho invented the dish while working for a butcher shop owned by his father-in-law.
He used leftover parts of the cow’s hind leg which he cut into thin strips.
These strips were then placed on a hot skillet with oil and cooked until they became crispy and golden brown.
Then, he mixed them up together with onions, garlic, and salt and served them to customers.
This dish quickly spread throughout the city and soon became popular among the locals.
It wasn’t long before other restaurants began making their own versions of it.
One restaurant owner even started selling the dish to tourists who came through town each day on trains.
In fact, one of these restaurants still exists today and has been serving chislic ever since it opened its doors over 50 years ago.
Carvalho continued to serve chislic to people in exchange for money in order to support himself after losing both of his legs during World War II due to injuries sustained from a bomb explosion.
How Do You Eat Chislic?
It’s not uncommon for people to eat chislic with their hands and have it served on a plate.
However, most restaurants will serve it in a bowl so diners can cut up the meat into smaller portions.
The best way to enjoy this dish is by eating off a big platter and cutting your own servings.
If you want to try something different, make sure to read our guide to eating like a local before visiting Brazil!
Ingredients
- 1-inch thick steak (about ¾ pound)
- ½ cup flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
Preparation
The first thing you need to do when preparing chislic is to cut your steak using scissors.
You should be able to get three large chunks out of each piece.
Next, mix together salt and pepper until they are well combined.
Then, coat each chunk of steaks with the seasoned flour mixture.
After this step has been completed, place them back onto wax paper and let them sit for about 10 minutes.
This allows the excess moisture to come out of the meat and gives the flour time to adhere to the outside of the steak.
After letting the steak rest, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat in a deep fryer or skillet.
Once the oil starts heating, carefully drop one bite sized portion of the meat into the hot oil.
Fry for approximately 2 – 3 minutes per side depending on how much fat there is inside the steak.
When finished cooking, remove from the pan and allow to drain on another sheet of waxed paper.
Repeat these steps with all remaining bites of steak.
Finally, after removing the last batch of meat, wipe down any grease left behind in the pan with a dry towel.
Serve immediately while still warm.
What Are Some Variations Of Chislic?
The most common way to present the dish in Brazil is on skewers and served with rice (arroz), beans, salad, and a side of onion sauce (molho de cebola).
You can find this combination at many restaurants and street stands throughout Brazil.
In addition to serving it on skewers, you’ll see people eating it by itself, either cut into thin strips like steak tartare or chopped up and mixed together with other ingredients for a stew-like consistency.
You may even see people making their own versions of chislic using different meats and seasoning them differently depending on what they have available.
There are no hard rules on how to make your own version of chislic.
If you don’t want to use ground chuck in your recipe, you can try chicken breast, pork loin, lamb chops, or turkey.
What Are Some Popular Chislic Recipes?
The most common types of chislics in Brazil are steak and pork.
However, you can find many different varieties of chislics throughout the country.
These include chicken, lamb, and even fish versions! When it comes to cooking chislic, there are two main methods used: frying and grilling.
Fried chislic is usually served with rice, beans, salad, and sauces like chimichurri sauce while grilled chislic is typically eaten on its own.
Fried Chislic
If you’re looking for an easy way to cook chislic at home, then frying your meat will be the best option.
You won’t have to worry about cutting up all those long thin strips into smaller pieces because they already come sliced up when you buy them.
It’ll save you time, too! To make this classic Brazilian dish, you’ll need to season your meat with salt and pepper before placing it between sheets of parchment paper.
Then put either oil or butter in a pan over medium heat.
Once the fat starts to shimmer, add your meat and sear it until it turns golden brown.
Remove the meat from the pan and set it aside to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Season your meat so that it has nice flavor.
- Sear your meat until it turns golden brown.
- Take the hot pan off the stove and let the meat cool down before serving.
Grilled Chislic
Another great method for preparing chislic is by using a grill instead of a skillet.
This allows you to get more surface area than if you were just frying it in a pan.
If you don’t have access to a gas grill, you can use charcoal or wood fire pit coals.
You should choose fresh, high-quality meats with lots of marbling (the white fat inside the muscle) that is not overly fatty.
The goal here is to create a flavorful yet moist cut of beef.
- Choose steaks or ribeyes that have plenty of marbling.
- Marinate the meat in a mixture of olive oil, soy sauce, garlic powder, black pepper, and sugar.
- Heat up your grill and place the meat directly onto the grate.
- Cook the meat on each side for around five to seven minutes per side depending on how well done you want it to be.
- Remove the meat from the grill and serve immediately.
There are several ways you can go about preparing chislic.
There isn’t a right or wrong way to do it but we recommend trying out both the fried and grilled options to see which one works better for you.
What Are Some Tips For Making Chislic?
There are several ways to make chislic and many different types of chislic.
The simplest way to prepare it is by cutting the beef into small cubes and pan frying them in a little oil until they’re browned on all sides.
Another common method is grilling the beef in an outdoor grill.
You can either use individual skewers or one long skewer, depending on how thick your beef is.
Once the beef has been cooked, just season it with salt and pepper before serving it up!
How Do You Store Chislic?
You can either freeze the cooked and sliced meats to keep them fresh until they’re ready to be used in your meals, or if you want to eat them right away, then you should let them sit at room temperature, covered tightly with plastic wrap for about one hour before serving.
What Are Some Common Mistakes When Making Chislic?
The most important thing to remember about cooking your chislic is the temperature of the grill and pan.
The meat should be cooked on medium-high heat for 3 minutes per side before moving it off the heat so that it doesn’t dry out.
You want to cook it until it reaches 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) internal temperature.
If you don’t have an instant read thermometer, use this method to check if your meat has reached its desired temperature.
- Take one slice of meat at a time and place it in a bowl with ice water. Allow the meat to cool down completely while submerged in the cold water. When ready to eat, remove the meat from the ice bath and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Slice the meat into strips approximately 1/4 inch wide. Place them between two sheets of waxed paper and gently pound each piece flat using a mallet or rolling pin. This will help make sure they reach uniform thickness.
- Heat up either a cast iron skillet or barbecue grill to high heat. Once hot, add the meat to the pan and sear it for 2 minutes on both sides. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside to rest.
- Repeat step 4 twice more for a total of three times. Each time, the meat will need less than a minute on each side.
- Once all six strips are seared, return them to the stovetop over low heat. Use tongs to carefully move the strips back and forth across the bottom surface of the pan so that they brown evenly. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked chislic to a cutting board and cut into bite sized chunks.
There are many different ways to serve chislic but my favorite way to enjoy it is to fry it up in a deep frying basket.
It makes for a fun presentation and adds extra flavor to your meal!
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Large, heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb. top sirloin or other steak
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper crushed
- Canola oil for deep frying
- Dried Parmesan cheese optional
- Crushed red pepper optional
- Green onion chopped (optional)
- Saltine crackers for serving
DIPPING SAUCE
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Slice the steak into bite-sized pieces.
- Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and seasoned salt to a mixing bowl. Mix until the meat is evenly coated. Allow for several hours or overnight marinating.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add about an inch of cooking oil. Turn the heat up to high and let the oil heat up for about 3 minutes (to 375F). To test the temperature, dip one piece of beef into the hot oil. If it immediately sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
- Fry four pieces of beef at a time for one minute, or until medium-rare.
- Remove the beef from the oil with a slotted spoon and place it on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Fry the meat until it is completely cooked.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and green onion slices (optional).
- On the side, serve with dipping sauce (combine all sauce ingredients) and saltine crackers.
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