Grilled Picanha (Rump Cap/Top Sirloin Cap)

Last Updated on October 18, 2023 by Melissa Reome

This post is sponsored by Omaha Steaks.  Rest assured all opinions are my own​.

Grilled picanha when cooked rare or medium-rare is something magical. This prized Brazilian cut has a smooth mouthfeel and a beefy, robust taste that you just have to experience. This guide was created to teach you how to cook picanha by four different methods so you can get outstanding results easily in your own home.

Sourcing picanha

I have to admit, I’ve been jealous of my friends who have been able to easily locally source it in other states.  One day I called my local butcher who said yes, indeed they had it.  You can imagine my dismay when he sold me a tri-tip instead.  Now, I love tri-tip but they are not the same thing.  I’ll discuss that in a minute. If you have Costco in your area, you may be in luck however availability varies in different regions.

I was excited to find out that Omaha Steaks was selling Sirloin Cap Grilling Roast which is their name for picanha.  Their roast is approximately 2.25lb, carved with a ½ inch fat cap, and aged at least 21 days.  Generally speaking, most picanha falls in the 2-3 lb range.  When I found out, I immediately went on their website and bought five of them.  Yeah, that’s how you know how excited I was!

What is picanha?

Picanha comes from the rump cap muscle.  Now, I will be the first to say, I was confused when I first heard of picanha as different people would describe where exactly it came from anatomically quite differently.  It is a triangular cut located from the top of the rump region of the cow.

It’s easy to see how one could be confused when a cut of beef can go by a multitude of names.  Picanha is also known as culotte/coulotte, rump cap, top sirloin cap, rump cover, top butt cap and of course the proper name of the M. biceps femoris muscle.  Butchers in the United States often process it into other cuts such as the round, the rump or loin and also remove the fat cap when doing so.  If you have a good whole animal butcher in your area, they are your best bet for finding some locally.

Tri-tip vs picanha

Although tri-tip is another triangular shaped cut much like picanha which is located in a similar region of the cow, they are not the same thing.  Like picanha, tri-tip is sometimes also sold with a fat cap thus leading to additional confusion.  Picanha is also different from Top Sirloin. Picanha actually lies above the top sirloin and rump areas. If you picture the large capping muscle over the sirloin/rump area having two sides, one side or the larger side is actually the tri-tip and the smaller side is picanha. Tri-tip is delicious but there is certainly a difference between the two both in taste and texture. Personally I prefer picanha for the soft mouth feel and robust flavor.

I called my local butcher one day asking if they had any picanha.  He came back on the phone and said they did.  When I arrived at the shop,  they tried telling me that the fat cap on tri-tip was the same thing.  Of course I knew better but I wasn’t about to get into an anatomy discussion at the butcher shop with a number of other people standing there waiting to be helped.

I’m sure I couldn’t hide the perplexed look on my face after I questioned it however.  I took my imposter fat capped tri-tip home with me knowing I’d still enjoy it.  I waited until I went outside to roll my eyes and text one of my friends about my meat saga.  If they bring it up next time I visit however, then we can have a friendly discussion about it.

How to cook picanha by different methods / picanha recipes

Picanha grilled on a rotisserie

Cut the picanha into steaks and season them with salt. Bend the steaks into a “C” or horseshoe shape and place on a rotisserie set to high heat. Leave the grill lid up until you get a nice brown color on the fat (if you put it down initially, the fat will hardly render before the meat is finished). After the fat cap is browned, lower the lid and continue to cook the picanha until 125 F for medium-rare. Note: The internal temperature of the meat will rise after removing it from the grill and resting. Pull the meat off 10-15 F below your desired finished internal temperature and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Reverse sear method: Cooking whole picanha

Preheat the grill to 250-275 F and grill picanha on an rack or grill grate until it reaches 115 F internal temperature. Sear the meat over medium-high heat on the grill for approximately 90 seconds per side or until meat is 130 F to achieve medium-rare at the end. Resting the meat is not necessary after the reverse sear method, but is perfectly fine to do so. There will not be a large increase in temperature with this method.

Grilling picanha as individual steaks

Grill the picanha fat side down over medium-high heat to sear the fat first. Then, remove the picanha from the grill to cut it into individual steaks. (This will help to render some of the fat down because once they are cut, it is more labor intensive to do so to each individual steak.) Note: It is not essential to render the fat down first, however it is much more pleasant if you enjoy eating the fat (which is delicious!)

Put the steaks back on the grill to finish grilling until desired internal temperature. Let steaks rest after removing them from the grill for 5 minutes. Note: the internal temperature of the steaks will rise after removing them from the grill so pull the steaks off at least 15-20 degrees below your desired finishing temp. Rest the meat for 5 minutes prior to serving.

Cooking picanha in oven / whole picanha

If you don’t have a grill, place picanha in a 250 F-275 F preheated oven on an elevated rack on a baking sheet. Cook the picanha until the internal temperature registers 115 F. Remove the meat from the oven. Heat up a cast iron or stainless skillet until hot then carefully sear both sides of the picanha until internal temperature reaches your desired finished temperature. Rest the meat for 5 minutes prior to serving. Note: cooking picanha in an oven is also “reverse-searing” but you are just cooking in an oven instead of on a grill.  

Cook the picanha whole (by reverse sear method) after seasoning then sear on a grill or skillet to finish and slice to serve.  I prefer to cook at 250-275 F until 115 F internal temperature then sear for approximately 90 seconds a side to achieve a nice medium rare at the end.

Tip: Dry meat with paper towels if wet from the packaging prior to grilling.  A dry surface=better browning.

 

Salting picanha

Keeping it more traditional and with my personal preference, I decided to just use kosher salt on my picanha.  I had some time on my hands so I wanted to do an experiment.  I decided to dry-brine the picanha  in the refrigerator for about 24 hours prior to cooking it.  Is this a necessary step, absolutely not.  Does it give you extra flavorful meat, yes.  If leaving the picanha whole to cook it, dry-brining even overnight would yield great results.

Dry-brining picanha

Without going into all of the technical aspects of dry-brining, here are the basics on why we bother dry-brining.  When you salt the meat ahead of time, you will notice initially liquid being pulled out of the meat and the surface will be wet.

The solution will be reabsorbed back into the meat transferring salt with it. That’s the beauty of diffusion right there!  The salt will work on the muscle fibers of the meat.   As a result, it will be seasoned and have an increase in moisture as well.

In addition to the boost in flavor, this process also allows for accelerated browning of the meat.  The surface of the meat is drier after dry-brining.

Airflow is important

If you decide to dry-brine the picanha, place the meat on a rack elevated over a rimmed baking sheet.  Salt the meat as if you are going to cook it with that amount of salt on it.  I think the biggest problem with dry-brining is that people excessively salt the meat then wonder why the final product is also excessively salty.

For my grilled picanha recipe  I was more liberal with the salt on the fat cap of the picanha far less generous with the salt on the exposed meat side.  After salted, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator uncovered overnight or for up to 24 hours.  I did dry-brine a whole piece for 2 days, and honestly, I saw no benefit to it.  After 1 day the meat was dry enough to make me throw a piece of plastic wrap over it in the refrigerator for fear that the meat exterior would be excessively dried out.

Cooking picanha on the grill

A note about slicing the picanha to put on the rotisserie.  Cut the pieces into wider slices than I did in the above pic.  If the pieces are larger, the inside wont cook as fast and it will give the fat more time to render.  The first time I cooked it on the rotisserie I overshot my temperature by about 8 degrees.  The meat ended up bordering on medium rather than medium rare because I misjudged how long it would take to cook.  I also cooked with my grill lid down thus accelerating the process.

The next time I will cook it on the rotisserie with the lid up until I get the color I desire on the fat, then close the lid if need be until my meat comes up to temperature.  My preference is to pull the meat no higher than 125 F since I prefer my meat in the rare/medium rare range.

There will be some carry over in temperature after cooking directly so I rather pull it sooner as opposed to letting it cook too much and risk being tough.

 

 

 

If you have never tried picanha, you have to give it a try!  I personally love eating some of the fat cap with the meat, but if you don’t, that’s perfectly fine.  It’s your meat and you eat it the way you like.   If you like your steak well done, you might want to skip this cut.  It will be tough and you will lose all those qualities I love about picanha.

My favorite way to serve picanha is with some chimichurri on the side with some sweet plantains.  Try this chimichurri on other cuts of beef such as flank and skirt steak.  It is also great on poultry.

Looking for more great beef recipes?  Check out my Porterhouse Steak and Eggs recipe or my Ancho Chile Rubbed Top Sirloin recipe.

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