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Picanha In Salt Crust
Bring the flavor of a Brazilian steakhouse to your kitchen when you master this recipe
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This Salt Crusted Picanha is your ticket to an unforgettable culinary adventure. Transform your kitchen into a Brazilian steakhouse as you masterfully prepare picanha.
Its glorious fat layer renders down, lavishing the meat with flavor and guaranteeing ultimate tenderness. The simple magic of encasing it in a salt crust then locks in all that incredible moisture, promising an unbelievably juicy and deeply flavorful result.
And the best part? While it looks and tastes like a five-star meal, this recipe is wonderfully straightforward and easily mastered. Prepare to savor Brazilian paradise, all from the comfort of your own space.
Recipe: Picanha in Salt Crust
Makes 6 — 8 servings
Active Time: 70 min.
Total Time: 90 min.
Ingredients
2.5 LB of whole top Sirloin Cap Roast (whole beef — do not cut individual steaks) *
A generous drizzle of Extra-virgin olive oil — adjust if needed
6 cloves of garlic — peeled and grated
Generous pinch of ground pepper- ideally freshly ground
2 TBSP of frying oil — adjust if needed
4 cups of coarse Kosher salt
¾ cup of water — adjust if needed
Directions
Meat Preparation:
Start by preparing the Picanha in a Salt Crust along with the meat preparation.
Make sure that the meat is properly rinsed under cold water.
(Important: Do not remove any fatty parts of the meat since they nicely tenderize picanha during cooking. After it is fully cooked, the fat part will taste great too, but if you want to, you can remove it later. Also, do not cut meat into individual steaks — it needs to be prepared whole.)
Place meat on a cutting board.
Perform a grid cut with your knife on the entire fat layer.
Pour and sprinkle these ingredients on the top of the picanha:
Pour Extra-virgin olive oil
Grate 3 garlic cloves on the steak and spread with a silicone brush or fingers
Generously pepper
(Note: Do not use salt — the meat will be later prepared in a salt crust, so it will get salt that way).
Turn and repeat on the other side of the beef picanha.
Cover the meat on the cutting board with plastic wrap and let rest (marinating) at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, but no more than 1 hour. (Important: Adhering to the time is important to prevent the meat from getting a rubbery texture and will ensure that the meat has a perfectly tender flavor.)
Salt Crust Mixture:
Place the following into a medium mixing bowl:
4 cups of Kosher salt
¾ cup of water
Thoroughly stir using a silicone spatula until fully combined. (Note: The texture should be like wet sand. If necessary, add a little more water or salt to reach that consistency.)
Set aside for a later step.
Pan sear:
Preheat the frying pan on high heat with 2 TBSP of frying oil and place in:
Marinated picanha prepared in step 1 (fat-side down)
Sear until the fat gets nicely rendered (about 2 minutes).
Turn and sear shortly from all remaining sides, just enough to get a nice sear on the meat.
When a nice sear around the whole meat is reached (but the meat still is raw in the center), remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack to fully cool before the next step (usually takes about 15 — 20 minutes at room temperature).
Set oven to preheat:
Set oven to preheat at 350°F.
Assemble:
First, stir again the salt crust mixture.
Place about ¼ of the salt crust mixture in the center of the baking sheet and distribute with a spatula to a thin layer with a slightly large diameter than is the diameter of your meat.
Place meat on top of the thin layer.
Place the remaining salt crust mixture on top of the meat and then distribute using your hands. (Important: Try to cover the meat evenly around the whole surface (if you have difficulties, just simply cover as much as you can).
Roast Picanha in Salt Crust:
Place in a preheated oven and roast until you reach your desired internal temperature. *
Tip:
I usually try to target medium-rare, which is a temperature anywhere between 130 — 135°F. To prepare about 2.5 LB picanha in a salt crust to this temperature usually takes about 40 — 50 minutes.
Important:
Keep in mind that the meat will have some carryover temperature — after cooking is terminated, you should expect an increase in internal temperature of about 3 — 5 °F.
Finishing of Picanha in Salt Crust:
When the meat is roasted to your satisfaction, remove it from the oven, crack and remove the top crust, and then remove the meat to a cutting board.
Let the meat rest on the cutting board for about 2 — 5 minutes before serving.
Note:
Picanha will use this time to release blood and lock the juices in.
Slice it into thin slices and optionally serve with herb butter.
* Check with a food thermometer at the thickest point of the meat to make sure that you have reached your desired temperature.
Source: Tom Slepicka
Start by ensuring the picanha is properly rinsed under cold water, then place it on a cutting board. It's very important not to remove any of the fatty parts, as the fat cap is key to tenderizing the picanha during cooking and contributes wonderful flavor (you can always remove any excess fat after it's cooked if you prefer). Also, resist the urge to cut it into individual steaks; for this recipe, the picanha will be prepared whole. Once on the board, use your knife to make a grid pattern (score) across the entire fat layer.
Next, generously drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the top of the picanha. Grate (or press) 3 cloves of garlic directly onto the meat, spread it evenly along with a generous amount of freshly ground pepper using a silicone brush or your fingers, and then turn the picanha over to repeat the oil, garlic, and pepper application on the other side.
Crucially, do not add any salt at this stage, as the meat will be seasoned with the salt crust later. Once seasoned, cover the picanha on the cutting board with plastic wrap and let it rest (marinate) at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than 1 hour. This resting step is essential to prevent a rubbery texture and achieve that perfect tender flavor.
To prepare the salt crust mixture, combine 4 cups of coarse Kosher salt and ¾ cup of water in a medium mixing bowl. Thoroughly stir these ingredients together with a silicone spatula until they are fully combined. The resulting texture should resemble wet sand; if it's too dry, add a little more water, or if it's too wet, add a bit more salt until you achieve the correct consistency. Once mixed, set the salt crust mixture aside for a later step.
Before covering the picanha in the salt crust, it is essential to thoroughly sear the meat on all sides to create a flavorful crust, which also helps to lock in all the juices inside the meat. To pan-sear the picanha, start by preheating a large frying pan or saute pan over high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the pan is hot, carefully place the marinated picanha, fat-side down, into the pan and sear it for about 2 minutes, or until the fat is nicely rendered. Then, turn the meat and briefly sear all remaining sides, just enough to develop a nice color all over. Even though the center will still be raw, when a good sear is achieved on the entire surface, remove the picanha from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely at room temperature, which usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes, before proceeding to the next step.
Next, preheat your oven to 350°F. When the picanha has cooled to about room temperature, begin assembling it in the salt crust. First, give the salt crust mixture another thorough stir. Then, take about a quarter of this mixture and spread it in a thin layer onto the center of your baking sheet, making the layer slightly larger in diameter than your meat. Carefully place the cooled picanha on this salt base (fat side up). Use your hands to cover the meat completely with the remaining salt crust mixture, trying to ensure an even layer over the entire surface; if you have difficulties, just cover as much of it as you can.
Place the assembled picanha in the salt crust into the preheated oven and roast it until your desired internal temperature is reached. For a medium-rare finish, typically targeting a temperature between 130—135°F, a 2.5 LB picanha cooked in a salt crust usually takes about 40—50 minutes. It's crucial to remember that the meat will continue to cook after being removed from the oven due to carryover heat, so anticipate an additional increase in internal temperature of about 3—5°F during resting.
When the meat is roasted to your satisfaction, remove it from the oven. Carefully crack and remove the top salt crust, then transfer the picanha to a cutting board. Let the meat rest on the cutting board for about 2 to 5 minutes before serving; this allows the picanha to lock its juices in after an initial release of some fluids, resulting in more tender and flavorful meat. After resting, slice it thinly and serve.
It is best served just with fresh bread or an herb baguette. Another great option is to serve it with potato wedges, fries, or a side salad. A touch of the herb butter placed right on the meat is optional, but it highlights the meat's flavor even more.
Tom Slepicka is the founder of www.cookinghub.com, and is a recipe creator, culinary instructor, chef, and a consultant. You can reach him at tom@cookinghub.com.
Good to Know:
· What is the best type of salt for a salt crust? For the best salt crust, coarse kosher salt is the top choice due to its large, irregular crystals that pack well to form a sturdy, insulating barrier, ensuring even cooking without making the food overly salty. It's also cost-effective for the large quantities needed and typically free of additives. Coarse sea salt is a good alternative. If fine table salt is used (or other types of fine salt), it can result in an overly salty dish and a less stable crust. There is also no need to use expensive finishing salts, as their unique qualities are wasted on a crust that is discarded. The salt crust described in this recipe would be great not just for preparing our Picanha, but can also be used for preparing whole fish and other meals suitable for cooking in a salt crust.
· What is Picanha? Picanha is a prized Brazilian beef cut from the top of the rump, distinguished by its triangular shape and a crucial thick layer of fat that keeps it flavorful and tender during cooking, especially in churrasco (a Brazilian style of barbecue); in the USA, this cut is often referred to as top sirloin cap roast. The name "picanha" is widely believed to originate from "picana," a term for a pole with a sharp tip used by ranchers in Portugal and Spain to herd cattle by prodding their hindquarters — the same area where this cut is located — or from the branding iron itself, which was also sometimes called "picanha" and used on that part of the animal
· Temperatures for cooking beef. When cooking beef, including flavorful cuts like picanha, achieving the desired internal temperature is key to both safety and optimal taste. While the USDA recommends a minimum safe internal temperature of 145°F for beef roasts and steaks, popular serving temperatures vary widely based on preference for doneness. For those who enjoy their beef exceptionally tender, "Blue" is served at a cool 110-120°F, followed by "Rare" at 120-130°F. Many beef enthusiasts and chefs particularly favor "medium-rare," cooked to 130-135°F, which offers a warm pink center and a good balance of tenderness and flavor. Moving up the scale, "Medium" is achieved between 135-145°F, "Medium Well" ranges from 145-155°F, and "Well Done" is cooked to 155°F and above, resulting in little to no pinkness.
· Be aware of the carryover temperature. Carryover temperature refers to the temperature increase that occurs due to carryover cooking in meat preparation. This phenomenon occurs when the internal temperature of meat continues to rise even after it has been removed from the heat source, as the hotter exterior transfers residual heat to the cooler interior. Understanding and anticipating this rise, which can be anywhere from 1 to 5°F (and possibly even more) depending on the cut and cooking method, is crucial for preventing overcooking and is an integral part of the resting process, allowing the meat to reach its final desired doneness and juiciness. With this recipe’s picanha cut, you can expect an increase of about 3—5°F, so make sure to subtract these numbers from the final temperature before terminating the cooking.
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