This is the home version of churrasco on a Weber-style kettle grill. The cut is top sirloin cap (picanha), the triangular muscle with a thick fat cap on one face. Ask for top sirloin cap and leave the fat cap on; the buying detail is on what picanha is and how to buy it. No restaurant rotisserie is needed. Charcoal is closer to churrasco; gas works as a fallback.
At a glance
- Region: Across Brazil
- Yield: a 2 to 3 lb (0.9 to 1.4 kg) cap feeds 4 to 6 as part of a mixed grill
- Gear: chimney, lump charcoal, instant-read thermometer; optional 24 to 30 in (60 to 75 cm) flat skewers. Full kit: What to buy.
- Ask for: top sirloin cap, fat cap on
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Set up a two-zone fire
Bank the lit coals on one side of the kettle grill and leave the other side empty. Use lump charcoal (100% wood lump), not briquettes. A chimney starter makes this faster.
Prep the meat
- Score the fat cap lightly in a crosshatch, cutting into the fat only, not the meat.
- Season with sal grosso only: 1 tablespoon, about 15 g (1 colher de sopa) per quilo (1 kg/ 2.2 lb) of meat, which is the 10 to 15 g per kg band Brazilian churrasco guides use. In the US, 1 tablespoon Morton kosher or 1 1/2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal per quilo. Salt just before the meat goes on, and knock the excess crust off after cooking.
How to skewer picanha in a C shape
- Cut the picanha with the grain into 1.5 to 2 inch (4 to 5 cm) steaks, so each steak keeps a section of the fat cap.
- Bend each steak into a C, with the fat cap on the OUTSIDE curve.
- Push a long metal skewer through BOTH ends of the C so the steak holds its shape and does not spin.
- Load two or three steaks per skewer, fat caps all facing the same direction, with a small gap between them.
- Hold or rest the skewer with the fat side toward the coals first, then turn.
Cook
Sear with the fat cap toward the heat so the fat renders and crisps, then move the meat to the indirect side to finish. Watch for flare-ups from dripping fat and move the meat off the coals if they start.
On a churrasqueira, steaks sit about 20 cm (8 in) from the embers and a whole piece about 40 cm (16 in). A kettle grill grate is often closer, around 10 cm (4 in), so sear then finish on the empty side. Full guide: how far picanha sits from the charcoal.
Temperature and resting
Pull at about 125 to 130 degrees F for medium-rare after the rest. Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part. Rest about 10 minutes on a cutting board.
Safety instructions
Rare beef at 125 to 130°F (52 to 54°C) is below the USDA 145°F (63°C) finish. Buy whole muscle from a butcher or a named packer, and sear the outside. Higher-risk people should wait for 145°F (63°C). Ground beef stays 160°F (71°C).
Slicing
Slice against the grain with a long flat slicer, in thin slices, keeping a strip of the fat cap on each slice. Serve with farofa and vinagrete.
On the table
Picanha goes out in rounds as it comes off the fire, not all at once, alongside the rest of the mixed grill.
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