We Tried And Ranked 14 Cuts Of Meat From Texas De Brazil

The Brazilian steakhouse is an interesting concept with an intriguing history. It blends a traditional South American backyard feast – where an animal is slaughtered, roasted, and served up by gauchos (the Latin American version of a cowboy) — with some modern dining twists. You pay the restaurant, then eat until you're full. You can request more meat via a card on your table, where you're served roasted meat from sword-shaped skewers. If the card is flipped to green, a wandering server will offer you what they have; if it's red, they'll leave you alone. Texas De Brazil does all of this for a reasonable price, resulting in a unique dining experience worthy of a date night, special occasion, or random carnivorous indulgence.

One of the best Brazilian steakhouses in the U.S., Texas De Brazil offers a full all-you-can-eat option (priced around $55 as of January 2025). This grants you full access to the cold buffet, along with anything you can spot on a server's skewer. While the cold buffet is undeniably solid, containing things like shrimp, salmon, and deli meats, I opted to try all the hot meats this time around — which was no easy task. I barely made it through with my stomach intact, but sometimes you suffer for your art. Here's what I deduced while sampling this meaty banquet, with 14 of the chain's cuts of meat ranked from worst to best.

If you know your Brazilian steakhouses, it may be strange to see a picanha steak at the bottom of this list. But the garlic picanha — or "garlic steak" as our server referred to it — isn't really picanha in a traditional sense ... and it really isn't very good.

Rather than a folded over cut of sirloin with a generous fat cap, this garlic option features cubed cuts from the same area of the cow. It's cooked medium rare, and you receive an entire cube of meat as opposed to a thin slice from the outside. Unfortunately, the first thing you'll notice about the garlic picanha is how tough its texture is. You'd think it's the same stuff they use to make a gaucho's chaps and saddle. While your jaw is getting a workout, you'll notice a parmesan-like flavor followed by a noticeable taste of garlic.

The smokiness from the cooking method also punches through, and the flavors aren't necessarily bad at all. But the texture is so awful that the garlic picanha is forever condemned to the bottom of this list. Swerve away from this one when you're offered it.

There are a few pork options on the Texas De Brazil menu, and parmesan crusted pork loin sees the traditionally lean and tender lump of pig meat coated in cheese, seasonings, and breadcrumbs. On paper, this could go really well. But on your plate, it's a different story.

Simply put, this pork was overdone; there's no other way to describe it. Consequently, the breadcrumbs (which should be there to add texture to the tender cut) simply make what is a dry hunk of pork even more desiccated. While you certainly don't want to undercook pork, it's quite bad when the meat it overdone. You'll be chewing on it for too long, which pulls moisture from your mouth, before fighting its way down your throat — playing merry havoc as it goes. To be fair, there is potential here if the meat is done right. But based on my experience, you're better off opting for some of the safer menu options, so this ranks near the bottom.

Texas De Brazil wasn't having much luck with pork during my visit, and the barbecued pork ribs didn't do much to buck that trend, ranking among the worst meat options I tried. Pork ribs, when done correctly, are an absolute pleasure. The meat will come clean off the bone and melt in your mouth. A thick and sticky coating of barbecue sauce will turn every bite into a sweet yet smoky treat, and, if the ribs have been properly basted, the flavor should permeate every morsel of the fatty, flavorful dish. Unfortunately, Texas De Brazil's offering had none of that.

The meat is very dry, and you have to gnaw on it from each rib with your teeth; this is made worse by the fact that there isn't much meat on the ribs. Then there's the barbecue sauce, which is dried out, sparse, and pretty flavorless. There is a good amount of smoky flavor coming through from the cooking method, but you should definitely avoid the pork ribs at Texas De Brazil and satiate that craving at a more traditional BBQ joint instead.

On paper, this should be the standout item on the Texas De Brazil menu. Filet mignon is a prized cut taken from the cow's tenderloin, after all. However, if you've already paid for as much as you want meat-wise, so you can indulge to your heart's content. As filet is a leaner cut, it tends to have a milder flavor, so the bacon should really elevate it here. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work too well and hurt its ranking overall.

It's cooked medium rare, and you'll get an individual bacon wrapped chunk whenever the server visits you with a skewer. But in an attempt to avoid overcooking the filet, the bacon is a little underdone, and not as crispy as it should be. Furthermore, because the bacon is taking a lot of the heat, the filet itself doesn't develop the kind of flavorful crust you'd really want from it, either. The bacon flavor does penetrate the meat, adding a welcome smokiness, but you have far better options available ranked higher on this list.

While it's hard to believe something is better off without bacon, Texas De Brazil's filet mignon is the meat that bucks the trend. The sear and seasoning do a lot to add flavor to this lean cut, and that char also brings some much welcome texture to the tender meat. However, the pieces are fairly small, so they can come out overcooked from time to time. Given the minimal fat you usually find on a filet, this also leaves it prone to drying out if it goes even a touch beyond the medium rare Texas De Brazil tends to serve its beef at, keeping it below the chain's higher-ranked cuts of meat.

Now, as for the filet's placing on our list, it turns out no bacon at all is better than non-crispy bacon when it comes to the restaurant's filet. Either way, if filet is your go-to cut, you can have as much as you want in either style. Though you may need to nudge the waiter and ask about the plain option (since the bacon-wrapped alternative is a far more common sight on a server's skewer), you'll be glad you did.

If you want something lean and wrapped in bacon — but done right — then flag down this delightful chicken option while at Texas De Brazil. It's pretty simple and far from unique, but the breakfast meat-wrapped chicken breast is utterly delightful. The chicken itself is well seasoned and perfectly cooked, while the bacon is crispy, with its fatty goodness rendered into the poultry below. The contrast in texture between crisp bacon and tender chicken breast is also ideal, and the only reason it didn't rank higher is the quality of the meats above it.

It's perfectly fine on its own, and is a great example of how nailing something basic will yield better results than not quite managing to pull off something fancy. And while these meats were all judged on their own merit, you can absolutely take this one to the next level by pairing it with a cheese-stuffed jalapeno or adding a good sauce.

Normally, you'll get a full-on chunk of meat from a server's skewer, or a thin slice you have to grasp with a set of tongs before placing it on your plate at Texas De Brazil. That's not the case with the flank steak, and you can expect a fairly substantial slice when asking your server to carve you a piece. It's also one of the largest pieces you'll see skewered, so it definitely stands out. Now, flank steak is popular in Mexican and South American cuisine because when properly cooked, the normally tough cut becomes tender and flavorful. On that note, Texas De Brazil pretty much nailed that with its example.

While the flank isn't the most tender thing on the menu, it's still pretty easy to chew. But the flavor is where it really stands out. The thick bark added by the cooking process is both a texture and flavor sensation. The spices rubbed into the meat combine with the deep beefy flavor caused by the sear, and the fat within the meat breaks down to create one of the more intensely flavored cuts offered by the chain. If you want to add some sauce, a chimichurri is available; as a general rule, chimichurri will elevate a flank steak whenever the two are encountered together.

The tri-tip steak wasn't listed on the Texas De Brazil's website among offered meats as of January 2025 ... so I was pleasantly surprised when the server turned up and offered me some. It's a solid cut, after all, tender and intensely beefy, with a smoky flavor from the sear and some strong garlic flavors pushing through. In fact, this is arguably one of the better seasoned cuts at Texas De Brazil, though it's also fairly filling, so you may not want to grab a slice before you've crossed the main meat options off your list.

That being said, it's not something you'll want to turn down should it show up at your table. The other meats seem to be far more common than this unexpected treat. While its ranking is based on the meat alone, it's one of those cuts that can be elevated with the right sauce. Like flank, it's a candidate for chimichurri, though something sweet and spicy (like a barbecue sauce) would nicely contrast its beefy notes.

It isn't really a trip to Texas De Brazil without a Brazilian sausage or two on your plate. Made from seasoned pork and smoked before being skewered and well-cooked over open flames, the Brazilian sausage is easily the most flavorful thing on the steakhouse's menu. Expect a lot of smokiness, spiciness, and a huge depth of flavor in each bite as you masticate on this delicious meat tube. It tastes like a high-quality sausage that's well ground, with a good amount of pork in there.

The texture is even and consistent, as opposed to a coarser cut (like an Italian sausage), and it's honestly pretty hard to place on this list. Then again, it's a processed product at the end of the day — and it's competing against more prized cuts of well roasted meat.

Still, the fact that it's so flavorful — coupled with the knowledge that you really should have at least one to round off your Brazilian steakhouse experience — makes this meat punch well above its weight. Consequently, it finds itself ranked in the middle of the pack.

There's actually not anything particularly unique about Texas De Brazil's leg of lamb. It's just a delicious, substantial, and highly sought after cut of meat that's been fire-roasted to perfection. The meat really does the talking with this one, and you'll get all of the gamey, fatty, tender deliciousness you expect from a lamb leg — with a bonus hint of delicious char from the cooking process. 

If you're a lamb lover, you'll want to pile this one up — even knowing there's a more delicious lamb option ranked higher on this list. The Englishman in me was craving the vinegary delights of a good mint sauce as I tucked into my chunk of juvenile sheep, but it's a quality cut that stands just fine on its own. Definitely flip your card over when you see this one making its way around the tables; it's one of the more visually striking cuts, so you won't have any difficulty spotting it.

Beef picanha is arguably the cut of meat Brazilian steakhouses are best known for. It's a thick cut of sirloin with a generous fat cap that's seasoned, rolled, and roasted on a skewer. Thin slices of the delicious meat are finally carved off for you to enjoy, and you have a couple of options here. You can have an intensely flavored outside slice, containing the well textured crust that's created by the roasting process. Alternatively, you can have a less flavorful — but more tender — slice from closer to the inside of the roast. Either way, there's a generous fat cap, as mentioned, so if chewing on beef fat is your thing, this cut is the one for you.

So why doesn't it rank at the top of this list? Well, it could. It's incredibly tender, with an intensely smoky and beefy flavor that showcases the absolute best of Brazilian BBQ. Frankly, I have absolutely no criticisms for the chain's beef picanha, as it's absolutely wonderful — there were just a few cuts of meat I enjoyed more. Still, you can't leave Texas De Brazil without trying this, and you won't be disappointed you did.

Spicy sirloin is one of the most confusingly delicious cuts on the chain's menu. It's pretty much the same hunk of beef they use for the (frankly) awful garlic picanha, but it's actually quite good. It's intensely delicious and tender, thanks to what we can only assume is a spicy marinade that breaks down the beef into something palatable. It's good enough to land on the "you have to try this" portion of the list in the top three, and if someone said it was their favorite thing from Texas De Brazil? I'd accept their point of view without question.

Spiciness is objective, but I found this sirloin had a good amount of heat for something on the menu at a chain restaurant. It won't have chili heads weeping, but it's the sort of thing that may sway folks who generally can't do spice, and the average person will find pleasantly potent. In addition to spice, the smokiness that comes with Texas De Brazil's cooking method punches through here, and the intense beefy flavor of the cut adds a nice bit of background to each bite.

While beef picanha is what chains like Texas De Brazil are most famous for, the lamb alternative was a better cut of the two. Like its beefy brother, lamb picanha is made from the sirloin cut, which is found on the rump of the animal. The meat portion is lean, but surrounded by a thick cap of fat, which melts into the meat. At Texas De Brazil, you'll be presented with a thin slice that your server will try to take from the crusted edge of the meat — as the roasted part adds extra flavor. However, if you want to avoid the bark, you can request a cut from deeper in the picanha.

The cut, like most of the others from Texas De Brazil, tends to be served medium rare, though more well done options can be provided on request. The lamb picanha has the same melt-in-your-mouth tenderness as its beef equivalent, but the more intense, gamey flavor of the lamb works better with the sear and seasoning Texas De Brazil is known for — earning it the second-place spot. If you're a lamb lover, this will be absolute heaven. Even if your preferences are more neutral, you'll still enjoy this tender and flavorful cut.

These ribs aren't just the best cut of meat on the menu at Texas De Brazil: They're arguably one of the best bits of beef you'll get from a steakhouse full stop. The slow roasted ribs are an ideal combination of fat and meat, which have pulled a deep, beefy flavor from the bones they were broiled on. If you're a true meat lover, it doesn't get any better than this, which is why this takes the top spot among the chain's cuts of meat.

The fat itself is very soft, coating your tongue with little issue. The tender meat provides a subtle textural change, which is very welcome and adds a lot to the experience. If asking the server to just leave the entire cut was allowed, I'd recommend indulging in an entire rack — and leaving it at that. Of course, this is without a doubt the fattiest cut on the menu, so if you have a strong preference for leaner meat, this may be one to avoid. But you'll be missing out on slice after slice of sheer indulgence.

I tried to keep things fair and consistent while sampling Texas De Brazil's offerings. In terms of temperature, no special instructions were given, and each cut of meat arrived cooked per the chain's recommendation (medium rare in most cases). I didn't add any seasonings or condiments, either, allowing the meat to stand on its own with whatever seasonings come as standard. While I suggested some accompaniments (such as chimichurri for the flank steak), these didn't affect the meat's overall ranking. Rather, they were merely suggestions, with each cut ranked on its own merit.

I ate each cut shortly after it was served, and ensured it had recently left the kitchen (so it wasn't cold off the skewer). I had no input on the cutting method, as the server decided the size and location of each slice of meat. I took notes after sampling each Texas De Brazil cut, which were expanded into the full review above.