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.
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.
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.
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.
