Roast Picahna: A Tender, Juicy, And Delicious Beef Roast Dinner Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to cook a picanha in the oven? ›

Step 2: Roasting Picanha

Add a ½ inch of water to the bottom of a roasting pan. Transfer the steak to the pan and then place the pan in the oven on the middle rack. Cook for 60-70 minutes for medium-rare until your thermometer reads 120-125℉. Cook an extra 10-30 minutes, depending on your desired doneness level.

It is still relatively unknown (your butcher might not even know it by that name). Take advantage of its relative obscurity and cook yourself some juicy, tender, mega-flavorful picanha roast. It's easy, it's delicious, and it won't set you back a whole paycheck.

Roasted vegetables, particularly bell peppers and squash like Zucchini, taste incredible when paired with juicy Picanha. We recommend cutting peppers and squash into bite-sized pieces, so they are easier to roast and eventually consume later. Season your chopped veggies with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

In the US, the picanha cut is known as a rump cap or sirloin cap. It may also be called a rump cover or “culotte steak.” It is not common to find this cut of meat in stateside grocery stores, where it is typically broken down into smaller cuts of meat like loin or round steaks.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat a 14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle picanha with black pepper and remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt. Place roast, fat cap down, in hot skillet.

Place the Picanha fat side down over the hottest part of the grill (about 250°F) and sear for 5–7 minutes. Turn and sear an additional 3–4 minutes. Be prepared for flare-ups as the fat softens and soaks into the meat and the grill. Remove the Picanha and slice into 3 or 4 sections with a sharp knife.

Popular in Brazil, North American butchers actually break picanha down into other cuts like rump, round, loin, top sirloin cap rump. Furthermore, they sacrifice the highly-prized large fat cap in the process. Therefore, even though it is the most prized cut of meat in Brazil picanha can be hard to find in the USA.

Sear for 3-5 minutes per side, until a brown crust begins to form. Place roast on the prepared rack on baking sheet. Place in oven on center rack. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes for Rare (125-135°F), 1 hour 15 minutes for Med Rare (135-140°F).

Picanha Price

Thanks to the outer rump cap, these steaks are still incredibly tasty and juicy, yet cheaper because they're sourced from a less desirable location on the cattle.

Picanha steak goes by many other names, such as rump cap, sirloin cape, and rump cover, but they're all the same thing. This cut of beef comes from the very top of the rump. The cut itself has a triangular shape with an iconic beef cap that makes up for how naturally lean it is.

Do you eat the fat cap on picanha? ›

One of the first things you'll notice on this rare cut of beef is the large fat cap on side of it. A lot of people will just trim this off the picanha steak before they cook it. Don't do that! Use a sharp knife and make some cuts into the fat.

Picanha steak is known for being incredibly tender and flavorful, often being compared to the ribeye but with slightly less marbling.

Both Meat Cuts Are From The Same Portion

The tri-tip and picanha come from the same portion of the cow – the sirloin.

Ultimately, the Picanha vs sirloin debate all comes down to personal preference. Both cuts of meat have their own characteristics. Those who prefer a leaner cut of meat with a milder flavor may prefer sirloin. Others who enjoy a richer, more flavorful cut with a higher fat content may prefer Picanha.

Picanha is a popular cut of beef in Brazilian cuisine, prized for its flavor and tenderness.

Picanha is traditionally cooked over a grill on high heat, but it does just as well when slow-roasted in the oven. It will, of course, have a different flavor profile: grilling produces a delicious smoky, almost-charred taste, while roasting in the oven brings out the truly succulent and beefy flavor.

Place the fat side of the beef cut up in a shallow roasting pan. Add about a ½ cup of water to the bottom of the pan, just enough to cover the bottom of the steak. Roast for about one hour in the oven or until your meat thermometer reads 130-135 degrees for a medium-rare cook.

Preheat your Kamado to a low temperature, around 240°F (115°C) to 260°F (127°C). Cooking: Place the picanha on the highest grill, fat side up, away from direct heat. Monitoring: Install a meat thermometer probe into the thicker end and use the reader to monitor the internal temperature.

To make sure we don't veer too far from that target air temp and get the medium-rare doneness that we want (about 130–135°F [54–57°C] in the meat), we'll monitor both temps simultaneously with the Smoke™ X2 dual-channel thermometer.