In partnership with Meater
Before I began BBQing on a regular basis, I had only heard of picanha but had never cooked it. With a few friends who were born and raised in Brazil, I had heard a lot about it and my interest was piqued– so when the chance came around to cook it myself, I was super excited. This recipe for Traeger Grilled Picanha with Farofa is my own take on a Brazilian specialty– which I know you’ll like.
PICANHA ON THE TRAEGER
Picanha is a cut of beef that you’ll be quick to find at Brazilian steakhouses like Fogo De Chao, where meat is cooked and sliced to order. In addition to being common in Brazil, it is a cut that has also become popular in Portugal (and now I want to go try it in Portugal!). In America, until recently, picanha was hard to find because American butchers often cut the particular roast into other things– like a rump roast, top round and the loin.
WHAT IS PICANHA?
But because it’s becoming increasingly more popular in the states, it’s become a bit easier to find whole, and it is definitely worth the hunt. It’s traditionally called picanha, but at the butcher you might have to ask for it under other names– like top sirloin cap, rump cover, rump cap or culotte. I’ve seen it labeled as all of these (in addition to picanha) and have found them to have very similar delicious results.
One thing that stands out about picanha is that it is a fairly lean cut from the top of the cow’s butt, but has a generous fat cap on one side of the roast. Now normally you’d be inclined to chop off that fat cap, but my Brazilian friends assured me that it was there for a reason, and they couldn’t be more right. Leave the 1/2 inch fat cap on the roast and it adds amazing flavor to the final result.
Score the fat cap Picanha and Meater thermometer
HOW SHOULD PICANHA BE COOKED?
In my experience, picanha is best reverse seared which yields tender, juicy and super flavorful results. I like to use my Meater wireless thermometer system when cooking a picanha roast because allows me to cook it perfectly without having to open the grill a bunch of times. By inserting the wireless temperature probe in the roast before it goes on the grill, I’m able to track the internal temperature of the cook very accurately and the countdown feature on the paired app gives me a great timeline for finished results. This makes my family happy because they know when to expect dinner– and makes me happy because the results end up perfect.
REVERSE SEAR FOR BEST RESULTS
As long as you reverse sear your picanha, you’ll have amazing results. You could cook the roast whole (like we did in this recipe) and then sear the outside before slicing. Or you could slice the big roast into three pieces, thread it on a Trompo King skewer and cook it. Or once you cook it slowly on the grill, you could slice it into pieces and sear each piece on the flat top. Regardless of how you cook it, be sure to keep the fat cap intact and season it heavily with salt and pepper.
SERVED WITH FAROFA
When we made picanha with my friend from Brazil a few years ago, he and his wife brought farofa to accompany the delicious grilled picanha we served. We were admittedly skeptical when they showed up with farofa, but after one taste of it I was hooked and this recipe shares my own take on homemade farofa.
WHAT IS FAROFA?
Farofa, another traditional Brazilian dish, is a toasted flour mixture. We used cassava flour, cooked up in bacon grease, butter and garlic, and then seasoned with salt and pepper. It sounds bizarre but honestly when you dip a piece of perfectly cooked picanha in delicious farofa, you will feel like you’ve been transported to the best churrasco around. And then you open your eyes and realize you’re still at home!
HOW TO MAKE FAROFA
We used the induction burner attached to my Traeger Timberline XL to make the farofa. In a big cast iron pan, I fried up some finely diced bacon until the fat had rendered, added butter to the resulting bacon grease, stirred in the cassava flour and cooked it until well combined and heated through. We added some freshly pressed garlic to the mixture, then seasoned it heavily with salt and served it alongside the steak. Again, it sounds odd to serve what looks like sawdust with steak, but believe me it’s delicious.
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Picanha roast (about 3 pounds)
- My Garlic Junkie seasoning
- Cassava flour
- Finely diced raw bacon
- Diced white onion
- Butter
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
WHY COOKING PICANHA ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
Grilling up picanha on the Traeger is a great idea because it’s easy and has delicious results. While traditional churrasco– Brazilian BBQ– is over open fire, cooking this dish on the Traeger grill provides equally good results. Reverse searing the roast imparts subtle wood-fired flavor throughout the meat in the first phase of cooking, and then the meat gets a great all-over sear on the new Traeger Flatrock griddle. Give this dish a try and let me know what you think– I know you’ll enjoy it.
The other benefit of cooking your picanha and farofa on the Traeger is that the Traeger Timberline XL has an induction burner attachment which allows you to cook the farofa outdoors. You eliminate the cleanup from frying bacon and the smell from cooking bacon and garlic into the mixture. It’s truly a win-win.
STEP-BY-STEP
- Preheat your Traeger Timberline XL to 225* with the super smoke feature enabled.
- Using a sharp knife, score the surface of the fat cap in a crosshatch pattern.
- Season the picanha roast all over with Garlic Junkie Seasoning.
- Insert a Meater wireless thermometer probe in the center of the meat and pair it to the app.
- Set the desired temperature to 130* and place the roast in the center of the grill.
- Close the lid and allow the roast to reverse sear for about 60 minutes.
- When the meat is approaches an internal temperature of 120*, turn on the griddle of your Traeger Flatrock to high heat.
- Pull the meat from the Timberline and transfer it to the hot griddle.
- Sear on all sides for 90-120 seconds per side, until the internal temperature reaches about 130*.
- Pull the roast from the grill and tent loosely on a cutting board.
- While the meat rests, make the farofa.
- In a cast iron skillet on the Traeger Timberline’s induction burner, cook the chopped bacon until rendered and beginning to crisp.
- Stir in the butter and stir until melted and combined.
- To the butter/bacon mixture, add the onions and cook until soft.
- Then add the cassava flour and stir to combine.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant.
- Stir in the garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Remove the farofa from the pan and transfer to a serving dish.
- Slice the picanha roast into 1/2 inch slices using a long slicing knife.
- Serve the meat with farofa.
ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS
Here are some recipes to also try if you like this one for grilled picanha and farofa:
Products used in this cook:
- Meater Thermometer, which is now integrated with the new Traeger grills for ease of use. Some of the features I love about the Meater:
- Longer Range: Bluetooth to WiFi range extension built-in up to 165ft. Stand-Alone Mode: Cook without the use of your smart phone.
- Multiple Probes: Dual temperature sensors in each probe can monitor internal meat temperature up to 212°F and ambient / external temperature up to 527°F simultaneously.
- Guided Cook System: Walks you through every step of the cooking process to guarantee perfect and consistent results. You can also set up custom alerts / notifications based on temperature and/or time.
- Advanced Estimator Algorithm: Estimates how long to cook and rest your food to help plan your meal and manage your time.
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Traeger Grilled Picanha with Farofa
Equipment
- Meater thermometer
- Paring or boning knife
- Traeger Timberline Grill
- Traeger Flatrock griddle
- Cast iron skillet
- Wooden spoon
- Cutting board and slicing knife
Ingredients
- 1 whole picanha roast (about 3 pounds
- 4 tbsp Garlic Junkie seasoning
- 1 cup cassava flour
- 1/2 cup finely diced raw bacon
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your Traeger Timberline XL to 225* with the super smoke feature enabled.
- Using a sharp knife, score the surface of the fat cap in a crosshatch pattern.
- Season the picanha roast all over with Garlic Junkie Seasoning.
- Insert a Meater wireless thermometer probe in the center of the meat and pair it to the app.
- Set the desired temperature to 130* and place the roast in the center of the grill.
- Close the lid and allow the roast to reverse sear for about 60 minutes.
- When the meat is approaches an internal temperature of 120*, turn on the griddle of your Traeger Flatrock to high heat.
- Pull the meat from the Timberline and transfer it to the hot griddle.
- Sear on all sides for 90-120 seconds per side, until the internal temperature reaches about 130*.
- Pull the roast from the grill and tent loosely on a cutting board.
- While the meat rests, make the farofa.
- In a cast iron skillet on the Traeger Timberline’s induction burner, cook the chopped bacon until rendered and beginning to crisp.
- Stir in the butter and stir until melted and combined.
- Add the onion and cook until softened.
- To the butter/bacon mixture, add the cassava flour and stir to combine.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant.
- Stir in the garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Remove the farofa from the pan and transfer to a serving dish.
- Slice the picanha roast into 1/2 inch slices using a long slicing knife.
- Serve the meat with farofa.
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