If you’ve had the pleasure of tasting smoked picanha steak before, you know what I’m about to steak temps you. It’s one of the beefiest cuts of steak I’ve ever tasted. Before we dive into this tasty cut of meat, let’s talk about what picanha is. If you’ve never heard of picanha steak, you’re probably wondering what it is, and where it comes from.
Picanha is also called culotte, or sirloin cap. It’s a popular cut of beef in Brazil. In fact, picanha is the most popular cut of meat down there! In the United States, this cut is typically separated out into smaller steaks and the fat cap is removed. If you can get your hands on one of these whole, do it! I got mine from Snake River Farms, and it was well worth it.
Smoked Picanha Steak is loaded with flavor, and super easy to prepare. If you want to know how to cook a steak on a smoker, this smoked picanha steak recipe outlines everything you need to know, and shows you where to get the best picanha available. Others will sear both sides of the whole picanha steak first and then cut into strips and skewer. Both methods are great, but anytime I have a gorgeous cut of wagyu beef, I want to get it some low and slow time in my smoker. The first thing we have to deal with is the fat cap.
One of the first things you’ll notice on this rare cut of beef is the large fat cap on side of it. A lot of people will just trim this off the picanha steak before they cook it. Use a sharp knife and make some cuts into the fat. While the picanha steak smoked this fat won’t really melt away, but it will protect the meat from drying out.
Adding the cuts into the fat allows us to season the fat cap side, and get some seasoning down into the tasty beef. How to Season a Smoked Picanha Steak With the fat cap side down, sprinkle a layer of coarse kosher salt on the meat. Place the steak in your refrigerator and let it rest for about 90 minutes. Doing this brings the salt deep into the meat, and imparts some serious flavor. I employ a similar method when I cook a tomahawk steak. When you’re ready to get started with the cook, set up your smoker to smoke at 180 degrees using indirect heat. Oak or Mesquite pellets work well here.