Picanha Churrasco (Brazilian Skewered Picanha)

Brazilian churrasco at home: thick picanha steaks folded into a C-shape, skewered with the fat on the outside, salted with coarse salt and grilled over charcoal.

The simplest of all great BBQ: picanha, coarse salt and a hot fire. Folding each steak into a C with the fat outside lets the fat baste the meat as it turns.

Ingredients

• 1 whole picanha, 1–1.5 kg, with the fat cap on
• 2 tbsp coarse salt (sal grosso, or coarse sea salt)
• 2–3 long metal skewers
• Charcoal

Method

1. Light a charcoal fire and let it burn down to glowing coals with medium-high heat.

2. Cut the picanha with the grain into steaks about 3–4 cm thick.

3. Bend each steak into a C-shape with the fat on the outside and push it onto a skewer. Fit 3–4 steaks on each.

4. Coat all over with coarse salt just before cooking.

5. Grill fat side towards the fire first to render and crisp it, then turn to cook the meat sides.

   Start 20 min timer

6. Take off when the centre is 2–3 °C below your target.

7. Rest briefly.

   Start 5 min timer

8. Slice thin pieces off the outside of each steak, churrascaria-style, and put the skewer back on the fire for more.

Tips

• Tap off the excess salt before slicing.
• Serve with farofa, vinaigrette salsa (tomato, onion, pepper, vinegar) and rice.

Times are a guide: cook to temperature and feel. The USDA safe minimum for whole cuts of beef is 63 °C (145 °F) with a 3-minute rest, and 71 °C (160 °F) for minced beef. Sources