Picanha Churrasco (Brazilian Skewered Picanha)

Method

1. Light 1.5 kg of charcoal and wait 25 min, until all the coals are covered in white ash and the big flames are gone. Set the grate or skewer rest 15 to 20 cm above the coals; any lower and dripping fat will keep causing flare-ups. This is your charcoal (medium heat).

   charcoal (medium heat)

2. While the coals heat, make the vinagrete. Seed the tomatoes, then cut the tomato, onion and green pepper into 0.5 cm dice. Put them in a bowl with the parsley, vinegar, olive oil and salt, stir, cover and keep in the cooler. After 15 minutes or more the vegetables release their juices and the flavours come together.

   Add in this stepTomato 1Onion ½Green bell pepper ½Flat-leaf parsley, chopped 2 tbspWhite vinegar 2 tbspOlive oil 2 tbspSalt (for the vinagrete) 1 pinch

3. Pat the picanha dry with paper towel. Never trim off the fat cap: it is what keeps the meat juicy and full of flavour. Cut parallel to the grain into slices three fingers thick (about 4 cm), giving you 2 × 250 g pieces. Score the fat lightly with the tip of the knife at 1 cm intervals, without cutting into the meat.

   Add in this stepPicanha (rump cap / top sirloin cap), fat cap on 500 g

4. Bend each piece into a C (half-moon) with the fat on the outside, and push a metal skewer through one end of the fat, through the meat and out through the other end of the fat. Put up to two pieces on each skewer, leaving a finger’s width between them. Just before grilling, cover the meat all over with enough coarse salt to turn it white, and press it on with your hands.

   Add in this stepCoarse sea salt 1½ tbsp

5. Set the skewers over charcoal (medium heat) with the fat facing the coals and grill for 8 min, until the fat is golden, puffed and sizzling. If flames shoot up, move the skewers aside for a moment. Then turn so each meat side faces the coals in turn, for another 10 min. When you press the thickest part, it should feel springy, like the base of your thumb when you touch thumb and index finger together: that is medium-rare (about 54 °C in the centre).

   charcoal (medium heat)

6. Put the skewers on a board and let the meat rest for 5 min. Meanwhile tap each skewer with the back of a knife to knock off excess salt. Resting keeps the juices in when you slice.

7. Slide the meat off the skewers and slice it against the grain about 1 cm thick, making sure every slice has a little fat. Serve straight away with the vinagrete. In Brazil it comes with farofa (toasted cassava flour) and white rice.