Grilled Picanha Steak

When we first got our grill, we used it constantly. One of the benefits of living in South Florida is that it’s grilling weather year-round. That changed during the pandemic, and we went from grilling a couple of times a week to maybe monthly if that. You know what? I miss it. Sure, a cast-iron skillet is a wonderful way to make steak, but I always say there is something magical about grilling. It just makes the food better, and I am determined to grill more this year. That’s a big part of why I am making this Grilled Picanha Steak. The other parts are: 1) picanha is freaking delicious, and 2) I have never tried making it myself. I’m a little nervous about messing up a $30 cut of meat, but I’m crossing my fingers and diving in. Wish me luck!

A slice of traditional Brazilian BBQ. This picanha steak recipe will go down a treat at your next cook-off.

Recipe Author: Ben at The Online Grill
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The Ingredients

Talk about simplicity! This recipe has three ingredients, and I had two in my pantry: kosher salt and black pepper. That meant all I had to buy was the picanha, and my regular grocery store had one waiting for me at the meat counter.

This recipe calls for a four-pound cut, but the largest available was just a touch over three pounds. Not a problem since I’m only cooking for two people plus it saved me about $10. The picanha was priced at $9.97 per pound, totaling $31.50.

Grilled Picanha Steak Ingredients
Picanha, black pepper, and kosher salt

The Process

I like to season my food, and my collection of herbs and spices is massive. It was big even before I started this blog, and it has only grown since. That being said, I have learned that a good cut of meat doesn’t always need a ton of extra seasoning. Sometimes it’s nice to let the flavor of the meat shine through. I find that’s especially true with fattier cuts, and this picanha had a nice layer of fat (a.k.a. the fat cap) covering one side.

Tip: It’s not in the instructions, but I put my picanha on the counter to come to room temperature. I allowed an hour for this because cold in the center does not cook evenly.

I preheated the grill for 10 minutes on high and got started prepping the meat. It only took 3-4 minutes to score the fat cap (make sure to have a sharp knife for this) and season it with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then it was onto the grill fat side down for 4 minutes.

Scored and seasoned whole picanha
Scored and seasoned whole picanha. The area at the bottom left wasn’t covered in fat and ended up being a little tougher than the rest.

I brought the roast inside to cut into steaks, and the middle was still raw and cool. Then I cut it into fairly thick steaks along the scoring lines, added some more salt, and it was back to the grill.

The picanha steaks were cooked for 20 minutes, and I flipped them every 5 minutes. I was sure they would be overcooked, but my trusty meat thermometer ensured that didn’t happen. Instead, I ended up with beautiful grill marks outside and a juicy warm pink center. Perfect medium grilled picanha steak!

Finishing Up & Serving

I made sure to let them sit for 5 minutes, bringing the total time for this recipe to 27 minutes. That’s well within the 45 minutes listed even if I include time to preheat the grill.

I served them up with a simple side of sauteed spinach. I wish I had planned to make black beans and rice too, but it completely slipped my mind. Next time for sure!

Oh, and I have to add that these picanha steaks were not only good right off the grill but reheated too. Tip: Just 4-5 minutes in my air fryer at 350℉ and they were so close to freshly cooked. Mine has a Reheat setting, but I used the Air Fry setting.

So how was it?

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This simple three-ingredient Grilled Picanha Steak recipe makes a beautiful centerpiece for your meal. Seasoning the meat with only kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper allowed the flavor of the meat to shine through, and I swear the grill added some extra flavor. I have to admit that I was worried that 24 minutes on the grill would overcook the meat, but that's not what happened. The thick fat cap kept the meat from drying out while y only "complaint" was the recipe didn't advise allowing the meat to warm to room temperature before cooking. Otherwise, this recipe was excellent!
The Hungry Pinner
The Hungry Pinnerhttps://www.hungrypinner.com
I'm Candice, and I'm The Hungry Pinner. I created this blog to share my love for cooking and my experiences with the MANY recipes I've found on Pinterest over the years. Join me as I blog my way through those recipes to find out if they are worth trying yourself.

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This simple three-ingredient Grilled Picanha Steak recipe makes a beautiful centerpiece for your meal. Seasoning the meat with only kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper allowed the flavor of the meat to shine through, and I swear the grill added some extra flavor. I have to admit that I was worried that 24 minutes on the grill would overcook the meat, but that's not what happened. The thick fat cap kept the meat from drying out while y only "complaint" was the recipe didn't advise allowing the meat to warm to room temperature before cooking. Otherwise, this recipe was excellent!Grilled Picanha Steak