Brazilian Spit-Roasted Sirloin Cap --- aka "Picanha no espeto"


 
Jerome D.

Jerome D.

TVWBB All-Star
When I've made picanha (sirloin cap) in the past, I've prepared it the conventional way that Brazilian steakhouses do it, where the meat is cut into thick chunks, then folded into a "C" shape as it's mounted onto the skewer. As I've researched more and more about Brazilian grilling, I found that spit-roasting the picanha whole is an alternative way of cooking it. It was a fun cook, and I was happy with the results. When that fat cap is all browned and salty, life is good. Who knew that a cow's butt cheeks could be so delicious! Thanks for checking out the photos, and Happy Father's Day to all my fellow dads out there.


Here's the raw picanha, simply seasoned with just coarse salt, plus a couple of action shots.




Some photos of the meat just as it's coming off the grill, as well as a cutaway shot.
 
We have a lot of Gaucho restaurants in San Antonio and they offer table side meat cutting like your spit cook.

This kind of cooking is very rewarding. It's a great way to feed your family.

You did a good job!
 
That last shot with the side profile is really incredible. The fat cap and meat both look tasty. Looks like a fun cook. How long did it take to finish? Looks like 4-5 inches thick at the thickest.
 
Many thanks to everyone for the flattering compliments!


@Luke P: In terms of cook time, I would say it took about 40 minutes in total (30 minutes of indirect roasting plus 10 minutes of direct searing over the coals. The nice thing about having it on the handheld skewer was that I could "custom sear" whatever sections of the meat needed additional browning just by holding that particular region over the coals, and quickly pull it away in case of flareups due to the rendering fat cap.
 
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