Our Favorite Way to Make Smoked Picanha

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Tender and juicy, with rich beefy flavor, it’s no wonder that picanha is the most prized cut of beef in its home country of Brazil. And all you need to do to treat it right is smoke, sear, and salt. In under 2.5 hours, you’ll be enjoying the best smoked picanha you’ve ever had.   

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I love picanha. It’s a delicious cut of meat that, when done properly, delivers BIG-TIME on flavor, texture and all-round satisfaction. But, for some crazy reason, picanha hasn’t been as well-known here in the U.S and, when we do see it, it’s often cut down into steaks.

But there is a better way! My new absolute favorite way to make picanha on the pellet grill is to smoke it whole. Delicious. And it’s even better when you sear the top fat layer in smoked beef tallow, and serve it sliced thinly with sea salt.

Hands down, this is the best picanha you’ll ever eat.   

What is Picanha?

Fondly named ‘the queen of steaks,’ the Picanha is a delicious cut of beef that comes from the top of the rump. It’s a part of the upper thigh muscle, which means it has very little fat within the meat itself, but has a thick fat cap on top to keep it tender.

Where to Find Picanha

We bought our picanha online from Snake River Farms. They’ve been running some great deals, and we jumped at the chance to get a mixed box of cuts to play with! But there are plenty of online retailers to choose from.  

Or you could pay a visit to your local butcher. They can often order cuts of meat in for you if they don’t have them in stock, and there’s nothing quite like being able to see and smell the quality of the meat up close. Buying direct from a butcher also means you can ask to keep the picanha whole, with that delicious fat cap in place, before they trim it and break it down into other cuts.

Picanha is growing in popularity in the US, so you might be able to find a whole cut at your local grocery store. But, more often than not, it will have already been broken down into smaller cuts by the time it hits convenience stores.

Smoked Picanha Video

More of a visual learner? You can watch me smoke this awesome picanha roast over on my smoking and grilling YouTube channel:

How to Smoke Picanha

This really is as simple as it gets. I’m using my Lonestar Grillz pellet smoker (which has the diamond-style grates to give you that beautiful crosshatch pattern), but obviously you can use whichever smoker or grill you have.

You can also use whatever pellets you prefer. There are hickory, oak, pecan – just experiment and find the flavor combination that works for you. We used our favorite Smokin’ Pecan pellets.

Then you just need your meat and some seasoning and you’re ready to go.

• Prepare the picanha – Leave the thick fat cap on the meat, and pat the whole picanha – fat side and meat side – dry with paper towels. You want to make sure you remove any excess moisture to achieve the best smoke and sear. Then trim the silverskin, the tough white connective tissue that runs over the top of the meat. It’s not good to eat, and can cause the meat to tighten during cooking.
• Season the picanha – Oil the underside of the meat. I like to use duck fat for that extra meaty flavor, but you can use any oil you like. Then season generously with Shake That seasoning, or your favorite all-purpose seasoning. If you want to make your own blend, then try our Texas-style rub which would also be great for this recipe!

I leave the fat cap unseasoned, because I like to sear the picanha after the smoke and I don’t want the seasonings to burn. But you don’t have to give the meat a final sear. I mean, you should, but you don’t have to! So if you don’t plan to sear the picanha, go ahead and season the fat cap as well.

• Insert thermometer – I don’t like to take any chances when it comes to delicious cuts of meat like picanha, so I insert a wireless meat thermometer into the meat and leave it there for the whole cook, so I can keep an eye on things. Push it in so it goes about half way through the meat.
• Smoke the picanha – Put the meat into the smoker, set to about 250°, fat side up. I want to smoke this gorgeous picanha to medium rare, so that’s taking it up to roughly 120-125° – it took me about two hours.    
• Serve or sear – At this point, your smoked picanha is good to go. Soft, juicy, medium rare – it’s ready to be sliced and devoured.

BUT. If you want to take your smoked picanha over the top, I recommend you follow me to the next step…

Optional Searing Step:

• Cool the picanha – Place your smoked picanha, being careful to keep that fat cap intact, onto a sheet tray and let it cool for about 20-30 minutes. This is to bring down the internal temperature of the meat so that when you put it back onto the heat and sear it, it doesn’t overcook.
• Score the fat cap – You don’t have to score the fat, but I’d recommend it. It stops the meat from tightening up, makes lots of extra nooks and crannies to capture flavor, and helps to get a satisfying crunch on the skin.  
• Sear the picanha – Heat up a cast iron pan, and add some smoked beef tallow for flavor. Put the smoked picanha into the pan – and wait for that sizzle! Sear on both sides, making sure you get a nice dark color on the outside, and baste with the fat that’s released to keep it moist as it sears. And, because you cooled the meat before searing, you should be able to get a nice color on the roast without the threat of overcooking it.
• Slice and salt – Generously season the seared, smoked picanha with sea salt – it really brings out the flavor – and slice against the grain into slices that are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Then wait for it, because you won’t believe how juicy this meat is.

Winner, winner, smoked picanha dinner!

Frequently Asked Questions about Picanha:

Where does picanha come from?  

The picanha cut was created in Brazil. It’s one of the most prized cuts of beef, so wasn’t originally intended to be cooked on the barbeque. Traditionally, it’s skewered, cooked simply over a charcoal grill, and shared family-style.   

You can also grill or smoke it on a skewer, and finish it off by searing on a griddle. We’ve done this in the past on our griddle cooking YouTube channel, The Flat Top King. You can see that method for smoking picanha here.

What is picanha called in the US?

Although popular in Portugal and other European countries because of Brazilian immigration, the whole picanha cut hasn’t been as well known in the United States until recently. Instead, it’s been known as the rump cover or cap, or the top sirloin cap. And, instead of being kept whole, the picanha has typically been broken down into the more commonly recognized rump, round, and loin cuts. But the cut is quickly growing in popularity, so you should see the name picanha in stores more and more.

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