Originally Posted by
deniah
um, no, while there a few "boutique" ranchers just like in any industry in any location there is no cachet.
a steakhouse in houston like perrys or vics or brenners would not advertise "local beef". nor would one go in a steakhouse in california and ask for "texas beef".
while we obviously have a large cattle industry the availability of "good beef" for a consumer is not unique to texas.
in fact one could say the state food is beef brisket which is smoked for 10+ hours (w/ hickory or pecan) to improve the taste on what typically is a bland and tough piece of meat.
churrasco is certainty a great way of preparing meats, the most popular in brazil. in my 2 months in rio (separate trips) i ate at rodizios 3 to 5 times a week. having tried many, porcao is tops, and picanha is their king cut. if you cant appreciate that, its YOUR loss
I also have eaten at rodizios and churrascarias dozens of times in Brazil. Maybe close to 100 times by now. You are definitely right that picanha is king there, and it's plenty good..., but my favorite cut is fraldinha. I've never had tastier beef than in Brazil, though I've never eaten in Argentina yet.
BTW, I don't know if it's connected to the one in Rio, but I have dined twice at Porcao in Recife, and it was the best of the best. Also the priciest by far. Tabue de Carne in Natal is excellent as well at about 1/3 the price.