Picanha or Rump cap steak, this cut is really underestimated and overlooked, THAT is one very good word for: Tragic. Here in Norway, this cut often end up in the grinder, although this is actually one of the best steaks you can put on the grates really. In south america grilling and especially picanha is very common. So to get an authentic feel of South America, I always serve chimichurri. Good steaks don`t need to be soaked in sauce, no chimichurri complements grilled meat so incredibly well. Especially on a high-fat piece like this, the acidity you get from a good chimichurri is absolutely excellent. My basic recipe for chimichurri can be found here
What you need:
- 1 Picanha with a good fat cap
- Maldon salt or similar
- Rapeseed oil
- Chimichurri
- Misc sides for steak (mushrooms, grillet peppers, taters, etc)
About an hour before the grill
One hour before grilling, score some fine cuts in the fat cap. drizzle with a little oil, and rub in plenty of salt all over the fat cap, and the meat in general. Let the meat settle in the fridge. If you are a fan of cooking meat at room temperature, put it on the kitchen counter before grilling. This is not necessary, I often cook the meat straight from the fridge. Then the meat takes longer to reach internal temperature, and gets even more of that good smokey flavours.
The process
I have previously mentioned reverse sear, and also use this on pichana. Ideally, it is very nice to use a rotisserie for this. Since I do not have one,I will do a reverse sear with a small modification. I sear the fat cap a little before I cut the picanha into smaller steaks. This allows you to stiffen up the fat cap a little, it becomes a little more crunchy. A limp fat cap is not very appetizing. Depending on the size of the picanha, I divide it into 3-4 pieces along the meat fibers, grease with a little oil and sprinkle well with salt. You can read more about picanaha in my meat class here. Then I leave the steaks on indirect heat at about 225-250F until they have an internal temperature of around 107-110F and take them off the grill. Set the grill to maximum and wait until it is good and hot before you sear the steaks for a few minutes on both sides until they have a good and delicious crust. Be careful not to let all the fat drip straight into the hot coals and make too many “flare ups”. Burnt fat does not taste good. Feel free to use a cast iron pan if you like.
Cut and serve up
When it is time to cut into the steaks, make sure to cut some of that crunchy fat cap for everyone. This is a great cut to serve for multiple persons, or you can eat it all yourself and go into a major meat coma afterwards. Enjoy!
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