← Nouns Cooking · Brazilian & Peruvian

Ingredients

• 1.3 kg whole picanha (rump cap / top sirloin cap), fat cap on
• 1 tbsp coarse sea salt (sal grosso)
• 1 tsp Black pepper (optional)
• 1 Lime, cut into wedges
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, very finely chopped
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• ½ tsp Chilli flakes
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 100 ml Olive oil
• ½ tsp Salt

Method

1. Take the meat out of the fridge 30–40 min before cooking. Score the fat cap in a criss-cross pattern without cutting into the meat, then cut the joint with the grain into 3–4 thick steaks, each about 4 cm wide.
2. Stir all the chimichurri ingredients together in a bowl and leave to stand while you cook, so the garlic softens into the oil.
3. Rub the steaks all over with the coarse salt. Heat a barbecue to a high heat, or heat the oven grill to high with the rack about 10 cm from the element.
4. Start the steaks fat-side towards the heat for 4–5 min, until the fat is golden and crackling (move them if flare-ups get fierce). Then cook for 4–5 min on each cut side for medium-rare, about 54°C (130°F) in the centre.
5. Rest the steaks on a board for 10 min. Shake off any loose salt and slice thinly across the grain.
6. Serve with lime wedges, the chimichurri, rice, farofa and black beans.

Tips

• Ask the butcher for picanha, rump cap or coulotte; a 1–1.5 kg piece with a 1 cm fat cap is ideal. Don’t trim the fat: it bastes the meat as it cooks.
• Slicing across the grain is what keeps this cut tender; look for the lines of muscle and cut at right angles to them.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Brazilian Kitchen Abroad Camila Made Easy and Delish