If you’re looking for a tender, flavorful cut of beef that everyone will rave about, look no further.
Our smoked picanha recipe takes minutes to prep and will elevate your grilling game to legendary status!
The fat cap on this tender beef roast is what make it so delicious. The fat renders into the meat as it cooks low and slow, yielding a smoked picanha steak that almost melts in your mouth!
If you love smoked beef, make sure to try our smoked tri-tip steak and smoked beef brisket recipes.
Ingredients to make Smoked Picanha
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients to make our easy smoked picanha steak recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Preparing your ingredients ahead of time speeds up the cooking process and helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
*The seasonings used for this recipe are minimal, but you can also add cracked black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and a touch of cayenne pepper for heat to suit your taste preference.
What is Picanha?
Picanha is a cut of beef that comes from the top of the rump above the fat cap. It’s also known as a top sirloin cap or rump cap.
It has a thick fat cap that renders down during cooking, adding incredible flavor and moisture to the meat.
Picanha is a very popular cut of beef that you’ll find in a Brazilian steak house and is an important part of Brazilian barbecue culture.
Where can I buy a Picanha?
If your local grocery store doesn’t carry it, check with your local butcher shop. You can also find it online at Wild Forks, Snake River Farms and other online meat sellers.
How to Make Smoked Picanha
- Add the olive oil and Dijon mustard to a small mixing bowl.
- Whisk together to combine. Set aside until needed.
- Add the kosher salt, fresh parsley, chopped garlic cloves, cumin, and turmeric to a small bowl.
- Mix to combine. Set aside until needed.
- Score the fat cap side of the top sirloin roast using a sharp knife, slicing in a crisshatch pattern, cutting into the fat cap about ½ inches deep across the top of the whole picanha.
- Pat the roast dry with a paper towel
- Rub the olive oil and mustard mixture on all sides of the roast.
- Season the outside of the meat with the dry rub seasoning blend.
- Place a small wire rack in the bottom of a baking sheet or aluminum pan and place the seasoned roast on top of the rack. This will allow air to flow around the entire piece of beef.
- Place the seasoned roast in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 2 hours to marinate (overnight is best).
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F.
- Add your favorite wood chips to the smoke tube. For this recipe, we used mesquite wood chips. Mesquite will enhance the smoky flavor of the meat.
To allow the roast to come to room temperature, remove it from the refrigerator one-half hour before smoking.
We used our electric smoker for this recipe, but you can also use a pellet grill, gas grill or charcoal grill, using indirect heat to slow smoke the picanha. Remember high heat is not your friend!
- Place a meat probe in the thickest part of the beef (to get the best reading, go in from the side of the meat, not through the top).
- When the smoker is ready, place the top sirloin fat cap up directly on the smoker rack with a drip pan underneath to catch any juices.
*Add more wood chips every half hour to the smoke tube to allow it to absorb as much smoky flavor as possible - Smoke the roast for two and a half hours or until its internal temperature reaches 125-130 degrees F.
*Keep in mind the meat will continue to cook while it rests, and the temperature will increase by 5-10 degrees. - Place a cast iron pan or a large skillet over high heat. When the pan begins to smoke, place the roast meat side down with the fat cap up and sear it for 2-3 minutes.
- Flip the roast over and get a good sear (2-3 minutes) on the fat cap side of the Picanha steak.
*This quick sear method is often referred to as the reverse sear method, as you do it at the end of the cooking process.
Remove the roast from the pan and loosely tent it with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing so the juices can redistribute throughout the beef.
Slice the Smoked Picanha into half-inch thin slices (or cut thicker into individual steaks) and serve with gremolata, chimichurri sauce, or Alabama white sauce, depending upon your taste preference.
This is one of my favorite cuts of beef to smoke, and I know after one bite you’ll agree. It has some serious flavor!
Leftovers should be stored refrigerated in an airtight container (or well-covered with plastic wrap) for 4-5 days. They can also be stored frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
Recipe FAQ’s
We used mesquite for our recipe, but oak, hickory, cherry, or pecan will work well with this cut of beef.
Fruity woods like cherry will add a mild sweetness to the beef, while mesquite, hickory, or oak will impart a stronger, smoky flavor to the meat.
Gremolata or chimichurri are the best sauces to serve with this delicious smoked beef. Grilled vegetables and roasted potatoes make excellent side dishes, along with a tossed salad with vinaigrette to balance the smokey, rich flavor of the meat.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Smoked Picanha Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb picanha top sirloin cap
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and Dijon mustard to a small mixing bowl and whisk together to combine. Set aside until needed.
- Add the kosher salt, fresh parsley, chopped garlic, cumin, and turmeric to a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside until needed.
- Remove the picahna from the packaging and pat the roast dry with a paper towel.
- Score the fat side of the top sirloin roast by using a sharp knife to make a criss-cross pattern, cutting into the fat cap about ½ inch deep.
- Rub the olive oil and mustard mixture on all sides of the roast.
- Season all sides of the beef with the dry rub seasoning blend.
- Place a small wire rack in the bottom of a baking sheet or aluminum pan and place the seasoned roast on top of the rack. This will allow air to flow around the entire piece of beef.
- Place the seasoned roast in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 2 hours to marinate (overnight is best).
- Remove the roast from the refrigerator at least a half hour prior to smoking to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F.
- Add your favorite wood chips to the smoke tube. For this recipe we used mesquite wood chips.
- Place a meat probe in the thickest part of the beef (to get the best reading, go in from the side of the beef, not through the through the top).
- When the smoker is ready, place the top sirloin fat cap up directly on the smoker rack with a drip pan underneath to catch any juices.*Add more wood chips every half hour to the smoke tube to allow it to absorb as much smoky flavor as possible
- Smoke the roast for two and a half hours or until the internal temperature has reached 125-130 degrees F.*Keep in mind the meat will continue to cook while it rests and the temperature will increase by 5-10 degrees.
- Remove the roast from the smoker.
- Place a cast iron pan or a large skillet over high heat. When the pan begins to smoke place the roast, meat side down with the fat cap up and sear it for 2-3 minutes.
- Flip the roast over and sear the fat cap of the picanha for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the roast from the pan and loosely tent it with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing to allow for the juices time to redistribute throughout the beef.
- Slice the roast into half inch (pencil width) slices and serve with gremolata, chimichurri sauce, or Alabama white sauce depending upon your taste prefrence.
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