As a butcher I’m often asked what cut is my favorite steak. Now the easy answer is an inch and a half 45-60 day dry-aged ribeye. It’s a short and sweet answer but in reality I cannot eat that steak all the time. It’s to rich for my tastes and my pocketbook to eat it on the regular. The better question is, "What cuts are overlooked that are a great value?" That list runs a wider gamut and includes cuts like chuck eye, Denver, bavette, and my personal value pick, picanha.
Searching for a steak
Picanha is wildly popular in Brazil. Steakhouses skewer the steaks on a sword and roast them over a roaring fire. Referred to in the US as a sirloin cap, rump cap, or most commonly, culotte. You may have to throw out a few of those names if your local butcher doesn’t commonly have this cut in their meat case.
What makes this cut so great?
Being a cut that gets overlooked means Picanha less expensive. Picanha isn’t going to have the tenderness of a filet but it more than makes up for it in the flavor department. However, I’ll sacrifice a bit of tenderness for that intense beef flavor that picanha exhibits. A perfectly cooked picanha, chimichurri sauce, a few frites, and a nice inexpensive bottle of South American malbec and you’ve got a helluva nice dinner for not much money. Below is my recipe for chimichurri and how I like to cook my picanha.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it went for you. Tag me on social media @ilovemeatdotcom.
Grilled Picanha with Chimichurri
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup chopped fresh oregano
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4-5 cloves minced garlic
- 1 minced shallot
- 1 TBS crushed red pepper flake add more to increase the heat to personal preference
- 1 TBS coarse kosher salt You'll need an additional large pinches to season your steaks
- ½ cup olive oil splurge and get a high-quality oil
- ½ cup red-wine vinegar
- ⅔ cup water
- 4 one and a quarter-inch thick Picanha steaks
- black pepper to season steaks
Instructions
- Heat grill to medium-high heat.
- Pat steaks dry and season with a generous amount of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Grill on medium to high heat for two minutes each side.
- Remove and rest for 5 minutes.
- For Chimichurri combine all ingredients together in a bowl and thoroughly incorporate. Seal in a jar with a tight lid and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Chimichurri is the perfect condiment for nearly all grilled meats.
Video
Do you cook the steak 2 min on each of the four sides (8 min total) or 2 min the flip then 2 min (4 min total)?
It should be roughly 2 min per side. Total cook time should be in the 6-8 minute range for medium depending on how large your steaks are and how hot your fire is. Hope that helps!