Description
Brazilian picanha - a top sirloin cap roast with its fat cap, cut into steaks, bent into a C, salted heavily and spit-roasted, then sliced thin.
Ingredients
- 1 top sirloin cap roast (picanha), with 1 to 1 1/2 inches of fat cap left on (about 3 pounds)
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Cut and skewer the steaks: Cut the roast across the grain into 3 steaks, each about 3 inches wide. Bend each steak into a C shape with the fat cap on the outside, and skewer it on the rotisserie spit. Watch your fingers! Salt the steaks heavily, and let them rest at room temperature while the grill preheats.
- Prepare the grill: Set up your grill for rotisserie cooking at high heat, with a drip pan in the middle. On my grill, I preheat with all burners on high for 15 minutes, leaving the grates in to hold the heat. Then I turn off all but the two outer burners and turn the infrared rotisserie burner to high. (See my rotisserie basic technique for more setup details.)
- Cook the steaks: Put the spit on the grill, start the motor, and cook with the lid closed until the thickest steak reaches 115°F for rare or 120 to 125°F for medium-rare, 20 to 30 minutes. Start checking after 15 to 20 minutes, and keep the thermometer away from the spit.
- Rest and serve: Remove the steaks from the spit and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice thin across the grain (along the C), getting a little fat on each slice.
Notes
Equipment: A grill with a rotisserie (I use a Weber Summit 650 with an infrared rotisserie burner), a foil drip pan, and an instant read thermometer.
Picanha is the top sirloin cap with its fat still on - the fat is key. Look for a Brazilian butcher, or ask a butcher for a top sirloin cap roast with the fat cap left on. Most grocery stores trim the fat off.
Use indirect heat with a drip pan under the steaks. The fat cap drips a lot of fat, and cooking directly over the fire can start a grease fire.
The steak from the pointed end of the roast is smaller and cooks faster, so it will be more done than the others.
Garlic butter: Brush the steaks with garlic herb butter (like the one in my Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Mediterranean Herb Butter) just before you take them off the grill.
Bacon-wrapped: If you can't find picanha with the fat cap, wrap top sirloin steaks in bacon before skewering them.
Adapted from Steven Raichlen's Planet Barbecue.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes