Fogo de Chao, Birmingham

There’s a temptation to think Brazilian barbecue was invented by a marketing team in São Paulo who wondered how many different cuts of beef they could parade past a table before someone gave up. In reality, churrasco began about as far from polished city restaurants as you could imagine. Out on the pampas, the gaúchos – South America’s answer to the cowboy, only with better cattle – lived off the land and cooked what they had over open fires. There were no marinades or sauces; just meat, coarse salt, smoke and enough patience to let the fire do its job. When your livelihood revolves around some of the finest cattle on the planet, restraint isn’t just admirable; it’s common sense. That philosophy still sits at the heart of Fogo de Chão, the restaurant formally known as Fazenda. The restaurant shares much of its DNA with its predecessor; same site, same interiors, same market table filled with just about every side imaginable. At its heart it’s a wonderfully simple idea; cook good meat…