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    Picanha questions

    Couple weeks ago @gijsveltman had some amazing pics of his asado in "what are you cooking". One thing he mentioned was Picanha. I wasn't sure what that was. When I googled it I realized I've eaten this at a couple Brazilian churrasco places -you know the places where they bring over a gazillion types of meat and cut them on to your plate and you eat until you have to unbutton your pants. Then johnec00 also posted about his picanha cook the other day. It was one my brain when I wandered into a Brazilian supermarket in Newark today and happened upon an entire section of picanha. There had to be 30-40 of them. I'd have bought one anyway but given they were priced at $4.49/lb I am now super excited about this find.

    Here are my questions:

    I'm not going to be cooking it the traditional way on a spit - like AlexDPR did a couple weeks ago - bc I don't have a rotisserie. So, it's seems to me I can either cook it whole (it's about 5lbs) and do a reverse sear. Or I could sear first - there's a pretty big fat cap - will that add more flavor? Or, I could cut them into steaks and do a reverse sear. Whaddyathink?

    Please chime in, especially if you're a picanha veteran. Thank you.

    #2
    I usually cook them in three ways:
    1. Cook the whole chunk low n slow, then when it's almost done, slice it up and give it a hot sear. Classic technique, works every time
    2. Cut into (thick) slices, cook them indirect then reverse sear.
    3. Cooking direct (only), by slicing them just a bit thinner than option #2. This is when I don't have time. In this case I find that resting the meat (slices) for a few minutes really makes a big change. I rest the meat in the other two cases also, but here is where I notice it particularly.

    I just add salt, plenty of it, and nothing else. I really like the meat flavor of picanha. As for the fat cap: I leave it on, so each customer can either eat it or leave it on the plate. But it should be grilled either way.

    I hope that answers some of your questions. I tend to do #1 most of the time, as I really like the maximum juicyness when I do it that way.

    Comment


    • JCBBQ
      JCBBQ commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks Henrik! I'm dry brining it now. I'll cook it tomorrow. With #1, you don't lose a lot of juice when you slice it before the sear? What temp do you do that 115F 46C?

    #3
    I don't qualify as a veteran, but I prefer to grill picanha as steaks. This guy's youtube is what I originally followed and still more or less do. I skip the olive oil and black pepper and just use generous coarse flake salt. And don't skimp on the extra skewer and grill fat side down that the video recommends! The SV/rotisserie experiment that I posted a couple of days ago was just that . . . an experiment. Local Brazilian market sells vacuum wrapped picanha for from $3.59 to $3.99. Great for a few weeks wet age.

    Comment


    • JCBBQ
      JCBBQ commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks johnec00. So you didn't prefer the SV method? I'm thinking it will be nice with some wood smoke.

    #4
    Thanks johnec00. So you didn't prefer the SV method? I'm thinking it will be nice with some wood smoke.
    Kind of hard to state a definitive preference based on a sample of one, but I think that I prefer the more "grilly" flavor from cooking over charcoal. In general, I've been very happy with SV for cooking less tender cuts (eye of round, bottom round) medium rare. But for "better" cuts like rib eye, NY strip, etc., (and picanha) I'm sticking with "regular" grilling. One person's opinion should not be taken as true for all though.

    Comment


      #5
      I'm with johnec00 on this one. Definitely skip the oil, just use salt. Always a winner. If you want oil (i.e. oil with spices for flavor), then make a board sauce. I do every now and then and it is a killer.

      Either way, as for juiciness: In my personal opinion the juiciness comes from two things:

      1. Don't bring the meat up to temp too quickly
      2. Let it rest before slicing.

      Those two are key. So, with regards to your slicing question; when I cook it whole, low n slow, I let it rest for a good 10 minutes (at least) before slicing and searing. That way the meat 'comes to rest' fluid wise. This is important, otherwise the surface of the individual slices will be too wet to get a good crust when searing.

      Good luck, and post some pics!

      Comment


        #6
        Henrik Got it. Thanks. I'll definitely post pics.

        Comment


          #7
          Let me tell you, THIS IS A GREAT CUT OF MEAT!! I ended up not cutting them into steaks bc it turned out to be just my wife and me, so I wanted to keep the remaining chunk for sammies. I cooked it like a prime rib - low and slow and then a sear at the end. This is one juicy piece of meat. Great flavor and the leftovers for sammies were to die for. I'll be adding this to the repertoire for sure.
          Click image for larger version  Name:	cooking indirect.jpg Views:	1 Size:	6.75 MB ID:	295582Click image for larger version  Name:	seared.jpg Views:	1 Size:	7.37 MB ID:	295583Click image for larger version  Name:	first slice.jpg Views:	1 Size:	6.63 MB ID:	295584Click image for larger version  Name:	slices for dinner.jpg Views:	1 Size:	5.53 MB ID:	295585Click image for larger version  Name:	plated w chimichuri.jpg Views:	1 Size:	6.61 MB ID:	295586

          Go find this cut - I believe it's called rump cap in the USA. Cheap and delicious.

          PS - Thanks to johnec00 and Henrik for your help on this.

          Comment


          • EdF
            EdF commented
            Editing a comment
            Got a little more detail on the first part of the cook? Looks great!

          #8
          Looks great. Congrats!

          Comment


            #9
            EdF I dry brined w a lot of salt everywhere but the fat cap for 24hrs. Cooked at 250 for about 2hrs until it got to 120. Then seared. I used one chunk of oak - didn't do anything for me. Next time I'll just use charcoal. If you look at the meat pic after seared it's all glossy. That's from the fat cap melting and running over the meat as I turned it. Pretty awesome. Ed if you can't find this by you and you want to make a field trip to Newark I'll show you a couple of great meat and chicken purveyors I've recently found.

            Comment


            • EdF
              EdF commented
              Editing a comment
              Thanks, Buddy! I tend to only get to Newark on my way to the airport, but I do appreciate the invitation. In the meantime, now that I know what it's called, I'll have an eye out for it. Never been very impressed by anything called rump or round, but this cut is sounding seductive!

            • JCBBQ
              JCBBQ commented
              Editing a comment
              EdF, hahaha! If you find it grab one it's delish!

            • EdF
              EdF commented
              Editing a comment
              My wife being the main meat buyer, I have put her on alert!

            #10
            Just put the grip on this choice almost 6 pounder this morning. After it wet ages for a couple of weeks, I plan on cutting 3-4 steaks from the wider end, then following Henrik JCBBQ approach with the remainder . . . more to come.

            Click image for larger version  Name:	packaged.jpg Views:	1 Size:	267.9 KB ID:	295882

            Comment


            • EdF
              EdF commented
              Editing a comment
              It was good to see that label for the alternate name! Thanks!

            #11
            It was good to see that label for the alternate name! Thanks!
            You're welcome EdF, I guess it was in another thread that I posted all the aliases. Picanha in Brazil/Argentina, top sirloin cap or rump cap in North America, coulotte in Europe. Technically NAMP 184D. Interestingly, the ethnic market (Seabra) sells it in the vacuum pack for $3.99/lb or less. Our most common local supermarket (Publix) will cut it from the top sirloin for you at $7.99/lb!

            Comment


            • JCBBQ
              JCBBQ commented
              Editing a comment
              We have a Seabra near me. That's where I found it.

            #12
            JCBBQ hey! So glad you found some picanha (we call it puyaso down here). I think it is a really great cut of beef, but it has to be prepared low and slow. Most people down here just throw it onto direct heat and move it around until they think it's done, and most times it is very tough if you do this. It must be treated with respect! But it is a great cut for the reverse sear, cooked and seared whole, and then cut against the grain in slices about an inch thick. I sometimes throw on some Maldon salt flakes on top after I slice, I think this cut benefits from a generous serving of salt and black pepper.

            I normally take it to 125 internal and then a very hot sear on all sides. The fat cap gets a really, really good flavor this way. It looks like you nailed it, those pictures made me hungry!

            Comment


            • JCBBQ
              JCBBQ commented
              Editing a comment
              Wow that's almost exactly how I cooked it. Cool. Yeah, I read about it being tough but I found it one of the best pieces of meat I've eaten - super moist and tender. I'll get some bigger salt for the next one. Thanks for chiming in.

            • gijsveltman
              gijsveltman commented
              Editing a comment
              JCBBQ no problem, glad you liked it. And you are right, it has a bad reputation for being tough. But if you know how to do it, it's a great cut. I dream about that buttery fat cap sometimes!

            • JCBBQ
              JCBBQ commented
              Editing a comment
              gijsveltman hahaha

            #13
            Awesome job, JCBBQ, you absolutely nailed it! That is what a perfectly cooked picanha should looke like.

            And yes, more people need to discover this great cut. I haven't heard of the word 'coulette' in Europe, but I assume it's a French term. If I am correctly informed this cut has its origin in Germany/Austria, where it's called rump steak. It is commonly used for a traditional dish called 'taffelspitz'.

            Whatever the name, it is one of my favorites.

            Comment


              #14
              Dang, I just couldn't let this one go. I'm cooking a picanha tomorrow, that's all there is to it!

              Comment


              • JCBBQ
                JCBBQ commented
                Editing a comment
                Nice! Please post pics.

              • Henrik
                Henrik commented
                Editing a comment
                Yep, will do.

              #15
              This post provided good inspiration. I fired up the grill this morning and put a picanha on. I used briquettes only in a Weber kettle with the SnS. No smoke this time. I ran it at 120° C (250° F) for 1.5 hours. The meat had an inner temp of 55° C (130° F). I stoked the fire using the BBQ Dragon and then seared it for 2-3 minutes, flipping regularly. I took it when the inner temp was 60° C (140° F), let it rest for 10 minutes, then sliced.

              I'm gonna have to quote JCBBQ on this one: "THIS IS A GREAT CUT OF MEAT!!" It really is. Fantastic. For those of you who haven't tried it, get your hands on one.

              Here's the raw hunk o´meat, with the easily recognizable fat cap
              Click image for larger version

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              Here I'm searing it, just one more minute and it's done. You gotta watch out for grease fires with this one.

              Click image for larger version

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              And the result. Mouth watering, finger lickin' good!

              Click image for larger version

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              Comment


              • JCBBQ
                JCBBQ commented
                Editing a comment
                Gorgeous! I love the seared fat cap.

              • Henrik
                Henrik commented
                Editing a comment
                Yes, this fat cap sure tastes good. I really like cooking this cut whole, and slice before serving.

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