Just a few ingredients are needed for one of the beefiest, most incredible cuts of beef you’ll ever sink your teeth into!
There is something so truly magical about this cut of beef. It’s my no-ketchup required cut. I love ketchup and do put it on my steaks from time to time. They are amazing on their own merits but I’m a ketchup lover.
However this cut of beef, yeah it needs nothing. No compound butter, no basting of tallow, and definitely no ketchup.
The Best Beef You’ll Ever Eat
Out of the whole cow, Picahna (pronounced “pee-kahn-yah”) is by far my absolute favorite cut of beef. It’s that cut of beef that needs very little seasoning yet is so incredibly packed with flavor. Cook it right and you’ll have one incredibly tender and juicy beefy cut of meat!
Grab Your Ingredients
- Picanha – you want to leave the fat cap on but trim it to an even thickness.
- Kosher Salt
- Seasoning – because I’m OBSESSED with it, I use Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning (but you can also keep it simple with salt & pepper)
What is Picanha
Most in the states know it from Brazilian steakhouses. In those steakhouses, they were known as Churrasco or “C-shaped” cuts of meat on a long skewer that is carved into slices. You can cook it open fire or smoke it like I do here.
It comes from the top of the rump. Depending on where you live it is also known as a rump cap, top sirloin cap, or coulette. This beautiful cut of beef was sent by my new friends over at Sparrow Market in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Season The Smoked Picanha
When making this, you need to plan your schedule accordingly. I do this step 24 hours in advance but you can do it as little as 90 minutes before smoking.
- Place a cooling rack inside a rimmed baking pan. Place the picanha on the cooling rack, fat cap side down.
- Liberally sprinkle kosher salt onto the meat and pat it in.
- Place the whole tray into the fridge, uncovered for up to 24 hours.
Preheat the Yoder Smokers YS640
- When you’re ready to smoke, preheat the smoker. Using oak/hickory/pecan or even mesquite flavored pellets, preheat the smoker to 225F.
Prep The Picanha For Smoking
- Remove the picanha from the fridge, wipe off the excess salt if any remains, and coat the flesh side of the meat with the Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning. Pat it in to set.
- Flip the meat over, score the fat cap with crosshatch marks going in about 1/4″, and season with more Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning.
- Insert a MEATER Probe into the thickest part of the meat.
Smoke The Picanha
- Place the prepared picanha onto the top rack of the Yoder Smokers YS640 fat cap facing up.
- Smoke until the internal temp reaches 115F.
- Remove from the smoker, and loosely cover with foil. Remove the diffuser plate from the smoker and increase the temperature to 400F. You’ll want to ‘sear’ the beef to finish it.
Slice & Reverse Sear Grill the Picanha
- Once the smoker is to temp, slice the picanha into 1 – 1.5″ thick slices as shown in the video and pictures.
- Place the slices onto the grill where the flames are hitting it flipping every 30-60 seconds. I HIGHLY recommend you pay a little more attention to the fat cap and sear to develop a crust. That can be amazing when seared perfectly.
- The temps of your meat should reach 125/130. Any higher and you risk tough meat. *Picanha tends to be on the rare/medium-rare side.
Recipe Substitutions & Additions
To be honest I wouldn’t change a thing as I think it’s perfect as-is. But you could change how you finished and served it
- When you’re ready to sear, do not slice it. Instead, leave it whole and sear all sides flipping every 1-2 minutes. If you’re using the Yoder Smokers YS640, you must remove not only the diffuser door but also the plate as you’ll need more flames.
- Remove from the grill and allow to rest 10-15 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
How to Smoke The Best Picanha (Top Sirloin Cap)
Just a few ingredients are needed for one of the beefiest, most incredible cuts of smoked beef you’ll ever sink your teeth into!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6-8 slices
- Category: smoked beef, high protein, carnivore, top sirloin cap, carbed beef, brazilian beef
- Method: smoker
- Cuisine: smoked beef, high protein, carnivore, top sirloin cap, carbed beef, brazilian beef
Ingredients
- 3–4 pound Picanha, trimmed
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning
Instructions
1. Place a cooling rack inside a rimmed baking pan. Place the Picanha on the cooling rack, fat cap side down. Liberally sprinkle kosher salt onto the meat and pat it in. Place the whole tray into the fridge, uncovered for up to 24 hours.
2. When you’re ready to smoke, preheat the smoker. Using oak/hickory/pecan or even mesquite flavored pellets, preheat the smoker to 225F.
3. Remove the Picanha from the fridge, wipe off the excess salt if any remains, and coat the flesh side of the meat with the Chupacabra Brisket Magic Seasoning. Pat it in to set. Flip the meat over, score the fat cap with crosshatch marks going in about 1/4″, and season with more Chupacabra Brisket Magic. Insert a MEATER Probe into the thickest part of the meat.
4. Place the prepared Picanha onto the top rack of the Yoder Smokers YS640 fat cap facing up. Smoke until the internal temp reaches 115F. Remove from the smoker, and loosely cover with foil. Remove the diffuser door (and plate if you wish) from the smoker and increase the temperature to 400F. You’ll want to ‘sear’ the beef to finish it.
5. Once the smoker is to temp, slice the Picanha into 1 – 1.5″ thick slices as shown in the video and pictures. Place the slices onto the grill where the flames are hitting it flipping every 30-60 seconds. I HIGHLY recommend you pay a little more attention to the fat cap and sear to develop a crust. That can be amazing when seared perfectly.
6. The temps of your meat should reach 125/130. Any higher and you risk tough meat. *Picanha tends to be on the rare/medium-rare side.
Notes
*Prep time does not include 24-hour salt brine
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