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smoked picanha
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Smoked Picanha

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.   
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 5 minutes
Resting Time40 minutes
Total Time2 hours 50 minutes

Equipment

  • meat thermometer

Ingredients

  • 3½-4 lb picanha roast
  • all-purpose seasoning or substitute salt and pepper
  • 3-4 tablespoons beef tallow or ghee for the optional searing
  • ½-1 tablespoon kosher salt for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat pellet grill or smoker to 250℉ with your choice of wood or pellets.
  • If your picanha roast has any silver skin on the under side, cut it off. Be sure to leave the thick fat cap in tact. Pat the entire piece of meat dry with paper towels. Then season the non-fat side liberally with your favorite all-purpose seasoning or salt and pepper.
  • *If you have a wireless meat thermometer to be able to monitor the internal temperature of your meat as it is cooking, then go ahead and insert it into the fattest area of the picanha roast.
  • Place the picanha directly on the grill grates, on the indirect heat side, with the fat cap up. Close the grill lid and smoke the picanha until the internal temperature reaches about 125℉ (about 2 hours of smoking time).
  • Remove the picanha from the grill and allow to rest on a cutting board for about 20-30 minutes. *This allows the temperature of the meat to drop a bit so that you can sear it for longer without overcooking it. After resting, use a knife to score the fat cap - cutting in a cross hatch pattern about ¼" deep.
  • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add about 3-4 tablespoons of beef tallow or ghee. Place the smoked picanha in the skillet fat side down and sear for 2 minutes to develop a nice brown color. Turn the roast to the other side, and baste the top (fat side) with the tallow from the skillet for about 1 minute. Continue to sear on both sides, basting with the tallow, until the roast reaches the desired doneness. We pulled our picanha at 128-130℉ and it was perfect.
  • Transfer the seared smoked picanha to a cutting board to rest for about 10 minutes. Season the fat cap with salt. Slice the roast against the grain into slices that are about ¼-½" thick and serve.

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