Ingredients
- •2.5 lb picanha (top sirloin cap), fat cap scored in a crosshatch pattern
- •2 tbsp coarse sea salt
- •1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- •For farofa:
- •1 cup cassava flour (farinha de mandioca)
- •2 tbsp unsalted butter
- •4 slices bacon, diced
- •1 small onion, finely diced
- •2 cloves garlic, minced
- •2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- •Salt to taste
- •For chimichurri:
- •1 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- •4 cloves garlic, minced
- •¼ cup red wine vinegar
- •½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- •1 tsp dried oregano
- •½ tsp red pepper flakes
- •Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Score the fat cap in a tight crosshatch pattern, cutting through the fat but not into the meat.
Season the picanha generously with coarse sea salt and pepper on all sides, pressing salt into the scored fat.
Place in a vacuum-seal bag and seal.
Preheat sous vide bath to 131°F (55°C).
Submerge bag and cook for 2 h.
While the meat cooks, make the chimichurri. Combine parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Make the farofa. Cook diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, about 5 min. Add butter, onion, and garlic. Cook 3 min until softened.
Add cassava flour and toast, stirring constantly, for 5–7 min until golden and fragrant. Season with salt, stir in parsley, and keep warm.
When the cook is done, remove picanha from bag and pat completely dry, especially the fat cap.
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking.
Place picanha fat-cap-side down and sear for 2–3 min until the fat is deeply rendered, golden, and crispy.
Flip and sear the meat side for 60 sec.
Let rest 5 min.
Slice against the grain into thick strips, keeping some fat cap on each slice.
Serve with toasted farofa and chimichurri on the side.
Notes
- •Scoring the fat cap is essential — it renders evenly instead of staying rubbery
- •Picanha is cut from the top sirloin cap; ask your butcher if you don't see it labeled
- •In Brazil this is sliced thick and eaten in rounds; don't cut too thin
- •Coarse sea salt (not kosher salt) is traditional — the larger crystals create a salt crust on the fat