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Smoked Picanha Steak

Aug 3, 2019 · 29 Comments

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If you've had the pleasure of tasting smoked picanha steak before, you know what I'm about to tell 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.

Table of Contents

  • What is Picanha?
  • How to Cook a Picanha Steak
  • Smoking a Picanha Steak
  • Smoked Picanha Steak

What is Picanha?

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.

#smokedmeat #bbq #picanha #traegergrills #traegerrecipe

How to Cook a Picanha Steak

There are a few different ways to cook picanha steak. The most common method is to cut the steak into thick strips that are skewered and then cooked over an open fire to medium (just a hint of pink).

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. Don't do that! Use a sharp knife and make some cuts into the fat. Make cuts parallel to one another about an inch apart, and then come back and make more cuts perpendicular to the first ones.

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.

Generously season the steak on both sides using my beef rub, or if you don't have that, your favorite bbq rub. Make sure you pick one that isn't loaded with salt and keep the extra flavors to a minimum. You want the rub to enhance the flavor of the meat, and my beef rub does just that.

Smoking a Picanha Steak

Place the seasoned steak directly on the grill grates with the fat cap facing up. I'd recommend setting up your Thermoworks Smoke to monitor the internal temperature of the picanha as well. We want to smoke the picanha steak until the internal temperature reaches 110. At 110 remove the meat from your smoker and tent it loosely with foil. Adjust the smoker to cook at 450 degrees.

When your smoker is up to temp place the picanha steak back on the grill grates with your temp probe inserted, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 125. This lean cut of beef can be overcooked and tastes best when it's cooked to medium-rare.

At 125 pull the steak from your smoker and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. The internal temp will rise about 10 degrees during the rest, leaving you with a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak.

smoked picanha steak with potatoes on a cutting board

Use a sharp knife to slice thin pieces to serve. Try it on its own, or pair it with a chimichurri sauce which is the traditional way to eat picanha steak.

I hope you give this recipe a try! Smoked Picanha Steak is definitely one of the best steaks I've ever had, and I hope your tastebuds get a chance to experience the tender and beefy flavor this cut of meat is known for.

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5 from 3 votes

Smoked Picanha Steak

Smoked Picanha Steak is a rare treat that is loaded with flavor. Follow this recipe to smoke it low and slow and max out the beefy flavor.
Course Beef
Cuisine American
Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Additional Time 15 minutes minutes
Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Author Nick @ SmokedMeatSunday.com

Ingredients

  • 2-3 lb Picanha Steak Culotte
  • 1 Tbsp Coarse Kosher Salt
  • 3 Tbsp BBQ Rub Nick's Beef Rub is Perfect Here

Instructions

  • Place the fat cap down on a sheet pan and sprinkle the meat with a layer of kosher salt.
  • Place the steak in your refrigerator for 90 minutes
  • After 90 minutes remove the picanha from your fridge and cross thatch the fat cap.
  • Season the steak with the rub on both sides
  • Put the steak in a smoker setup to smoke at 180 degrees - fat cap up.
  • Let the steak smoke until the internal temperature reaches 110 degrees.
  • Adjust your smoker temperature up to 450 and continue cooking the steak until the internal temperature hits 125 degrees.
  • Remove the steak and tent it with foil and rest for 15 minutes before slicing thin against the grain.

More Beef

  • Smoked Beef Chuck Ribs
    Smoked Beef Chuck Ribs
  • Over the Top Smoked Lasagna
  • Smoked Hot Dogs
  • Smoked Bologna With A Hot Honey Glaze

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Roger Trevor says

    October 06, 2019 at 8:36 pm

    Ate tons of picanha when in Brasil, and eat it whenever I can find it on a menu here. Tough to decide whether grilled or smoked is better.

    Reply
  2. lindsey says

    April 16, 2020 at 9:49 am

    hi!! about how long will it take to smoke and then finish cooking? wanting to make it for dinner, so trying to time it right

    Reply
    • Nick says

      April 16, 2020 at 9:58 am

      Hi Lindsey! I plan on about 2 hours of cook time when I'm smoking a picanha.

      Reply
    • Sean McCullough says

      March 16, 2022 at 2:44 pm

      2pm-6pm Start to finish with time in between to make sides and set table

      Reply
    • Adat says

      July 07, 2024 at 11:01 am

      Go by temperature, not time

      Reply
  3. Danilo says

    July 20, 2020 at 12:15 pm

    Outstanding recipe. Being Brazilian, picanha is the ultimate BBQ for me (haven’t find anything similar among the US traditional BBQ cuts) but I had never tried smoking it before I saw this recipe. It really enhances flavor and concentrate the juices.

    Reply
    • Josh says

      October 06, 2020 at 8:40 pm

      Try smoken a tri tip you can either smoke it to medium rare or smoke it till it 200% & you for chopped sandwiches tastes amazing I do inject it if I do that. It's got a strong beefy flavor like piranha & a fat cap on one side.

      Reply
  4. Gary says

    August 13, 2020 at 7:26 pm

    Hi Nick, how does picanha go cut into steaks then reverse seared? Do you recommend removing the fat cap in that instance?

    Reply
  5. Lorne says

    September 05, 2020 at 8:28 am

    Confused about your Temperature values. Are they listed in Degrees Celsius.

    Reply
    • Nick says

      September 05, 2020 at 8:33 am

      temps are in Fahrenheit

      Reply
  6. Dawn B says

    January 09, 2021 at 9:08 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe. I so appreciate you explaining what to do with the fat cap and letting it rest in the fridge for a while. I'm a newbie to smoker cooking and was glad this was a success. I have a ton of meat in my freezer that I don't know what to do with. I googled Sirloin cap smoker recipes and am sooooo glad to have found your's. It was DELISH!!! Will definitely be making this one again. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Ali says

    August 01, 2021 at 3:50 pm

    Hey! This recipe looks great! Is there a link to your rub? I couldn’t seem to find it.

    Reply
  8. Tony Santos says

    August 08, 2021 at 5:23 pm

    Had an amazing smoke! I used the new Masterbuilt gravity fed smoker to cook, and seasoned with a barbacoa wet rub, and absolutely blew it out the water! Thank you for the base!!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      January 07, 2022 at 8:57 pm

      I just got one for Christmas. Tried it out last weekend since we have a huge gathering tomorrow.

      Reply
    • Scott says

      July 04, 2022 at 2:46 pm

      I smoke a picanha last year on my Masterbuilt 1050 and loooove this cut of meat. Smoking Waygu picanha right niw over cherry smoke….. Sliding the probe in was buttery tender - can’t wait till it’s done!!!

      Reply
      • Jan says

        September 17, 2024 at 3:05 pm

        Just bought this cut of meat for first time. Have seasoned my new grill, but never smoked anything on it. Can’t wait to try. It’s a 3.3 lb picanha, how long would you recommend and at what temp. Marinate over night? Can’t wait to try, meat dept. recommend and I had never heard of it before. Here’s hoping it turns out good🙏

        Reply
  9. Kyle says

    September 11, 2021 at 7:07 pm

    This was my 3rd time using my pellet smoker grill. I followed the direction to a T except I pulled the meat at 135 and let rest for 30 minutes just cuz I have little ones. It is probably the best thing I’ve cooked in years. I have camp chef pellet smoker grill and set at 185 on smoke 3 then 450.
    Thank you!

    Reply
  10. Julie says

    January 09, 2022 at 3:38 am

    Made it today, it was delicious and everyone loved it.

    Reply
  11. Edward Folliard says

    March 11, 2022 at 2:19 pm

    You talked me into it. Trying it today for the first time.

    Reply
  12. Soraya says

    August 15, 2022 at 9:34 am

    As a Brazilian picanha is a cut of meat I'm very familiar with and grill it often. The traditional way to make picanha and how Brazilians do it, is to cook over a charcoal fire (not gas) and only season with coarse salt (just before grilling and not before to avoid drying the meat) and nothing else. We need the meat flavor to be the center piece!

    I will try your recipe today using my in my recteq pellet grill, and see if adding BBQ seasonings change the flavor or if its just a new way to make picanha! 🙂 I'm sure we can't it will delicious!

    Reply
    • Bruno says

      March 28, 2024 at 6:09 pm

      I’m also Brazilian and have never used anything but salt. I love this recipe but I never use any rub for it. Curious what you found Soraya, in case you did try it.

      Reply
  13. Jeff Mohler says

    October 09, 2022 at 1:38 pm

    "Adding the cuts into the fat allows us to season the fat cap side, and get some seasoning down into the tasty beef."

    This is pointless, as the silver skin below that fat prevents any salt from coming in..and also, fat does NOT penetrate meat. Ever.

    Reply
  14. rockpile says

    November 06, 2022 at 5:57 pm

    smoking this bish right now hope it's amazing!

    Reply
  15. Joseph Cennamo says

    August 08, 2023 at 6:51 pm

    I cooked it on a treagar I dry brined the steak uncovered overnight wiped it dry set the smoker to 200 for an internal 110 then wrapped in paper raised temp to 250 for internal of 130 (I have the meater probe love it ) let rest for 10 minutes.turned out great.

    Reply
    • Joseph Cennamo says

      August 13, 2023 at 12:34 pm

      I dried brined it in the frig overnight set my smoker to 200 cooked for an internal of 135 let it rest for 5 minutes. Was great .

      Reply
      • Don S says

        September 15, 2023 at 12:08 pm

        Thanks for the I put. I didn't brine mine and followed your method to a "T" Truly a meal fit for a king

        Reply
  16. Dean R says

    April 12, 2024 at 6:28 pm

    Tried this yesterday and it turned out great. I slightly overestimated the times though so it sat for a while then I put it back on to bring the internal temp to 125°F or 52°C or 325K 😁. It was 2kg or 4.4lb and I allowed 30 mins/lb. That was too long.
    I loved it and so did the bride, she wasn’t a fan of the fat cap, I was!
    Will try to pan sear some leftovers cut into steaks today. Love this cut of mean.

    Reply
  17. Rob Bucheit says

    April 25, 2025 at 7:53 am

    I have read your article and the instructions. I would like to know do you tent after 180 or after 400 or both ?

    Reply
  18. Rex Bucheit says

    April 25, 2025 at 7:54 am

    Did you leave out in the recipe list that you tent the meat twice, once when you hit an internal temp of 110 and again at 125?

    Reply

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Smoked Meat Sunday

I've been barbecuing for 25 years and Smoked Meat Sunday is a collection of my experience and recipes.

Beyond the smoker, I love to travel, learn about new cuisines, and incorporation those traditions into my cooking.

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