This roast picanha recipe is a tender, juicy, and delicious Brazilian roast dinner that will impress your family any night of the week. Using 3 simple ingredients, you'll have a hearty main course that will melt in your mouth with each bite! There's no need to go to an expensive steakhouse when you can make this restaurant-quality beef dinner at home.
It is traditionally served with refried beans and potato salad. Polenta and this steakhouse cream spinach would also be delicious with your roast.
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Making a hearty beef roast dinner is comforting, especially on chilly nights when you don't feel like leaving the house.
My homemade blend of steak spices is rubbed on the roast and then refrigerated overnight to ensure an extra tender, juicy result.
This recipe is effortless yet packed full of delicious flavor! If you've never tried a roast picanha, it just might be your new go-to hearty family dinner recipe to make for any occasion.
See my post on What Is Picanha and Picanha Steaks.
🥘 Ingredients
You will only need 3 simple ingredients to make this delicious and easy roast recipe.
When you're searching for a roast picanha at the store, it may be marked as a sirloin cap or rump cover instead.
- Roast Picanha - 3 pounds of roast picanha (3-4 pounds of roast picanha, aka sirloin cap, rump cover, or culotte steak).
- Steak Seasoning - 1 ½ tablespoons of steak seasoning (you can use 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of my steak seasoning, or your favorite steak seasoning).
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon of olive oil (extra virgin).
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Roast Picanha
This roast is incredibly easy to make, especially if you have cooked a beef roast before. To get started, you will need a baking sheet, a roasting rack, a sharp knife, a large skillet, and a pair of silicone tongs.
This roast recipe yields approximately 12 servings. There is plenty to feed the whole family, and you might even have some leftovers.
Prep Roast
- Prep. Place your 3 pounds of roast picanha on a baking sheet with the fat cap side facing upwards. Score the fat cap using a sharp knife in a criss-cross pattern. Place a roasting rack on your baking sheet and set the roast on top. Gently press in the 1 ½ tablespoons of steak seasoning onto both sides of the roast as a dry brine. Refrigerate the roast overnight.
- Preheat. An hour before you are ready to cook the roast, take it out of the fridge and set it on the counter to bring it to room temperature for at least an hour. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C).
Sear, Cook, And Serve
- Sear. Heat the 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer and is just beginning to smoke, place the roast in the pan and sear it for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Cook. Transfer the roast to a baking sheet and cook in your preheated oven at 400°F (205°C) for 40-50 minutes or until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 125-130°F (52-54°C).
- Rest and serve. Place your roast on a cutting board under a loosely tented piece of foil and rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Cooking Time: Expect a cooking duration of 40-50 minutes for a roast weighing 3-3.5 pounds.
- Understanding Picanha: This cut is also known as sirloin cap, rump cap, rump cover, or culotte, offering versatile cooking options.
- Scoring the Fat Cap: Make shallow cuts in the Fat Cap. This technique helps distribute flavors more evenly through the meat, leading to a thinner fat layer and leaner slices.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Place your completely cooled slices of roast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Wrap your leftovers with heavy-duty aluminum foil, place it in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag, and freeze it for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and place your thawed picanha in a baking dish with a little water or beef broth. Cook until it's heated through and warmed to your liking.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
A roast picanha is a cut of beef that is sliced from the top of the rump muscle of a cow. It's a triangular-shaped cut of beef that is covered with a thick fat cap.
It's really up to you if you'd like to eat the fat layer or discard it. If you don't like eating fat on any cut of steak, you can cut it off before even cooking the roast. Or you can leave the fat cap on so that it distributes even more flavor within the roast!
If you cannot find a picanha roast at your local grocery store, you might want to ask a specialty butcher to cut it for you! You can also look for a roast labeled as a sirloin cap or rump cover.
😋 More Tasty Roast Recipes
- Beef Chuck Roast - This one-pot meal is perfect for any special occasion or simple family dinner.
- Round Roast Pot Roast - My round roast pot roast recipe is filled with tender meat, carrots, onions, and potatoes.
- Yankee Pot Roast - This Yankee pot roast is slow and roasted in red wine and beef broth for a hearty dinner your family will love.
- Slow Cooker Pork Ribeye Roast - Cooking a pork ribeye roast in the crockpot is effortless and packed full of flavor.
- Instant Pot Chuck Roast - If you love easy and delicious Instant Pot recipes, then you have to whip up a juicy and tender chuck roast.
- Christmas Prime Rib Roast - My Christmas prime rib roast makes an impressive holiday dinner or you can enjoy it any time of the year.
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📖 Recipe Card
Brazilian Roast Picanha
Ingredients
- 3 lbs roast picanha (3-4 pounds of roast picanha aka sirloin cap, rump cover, or culotte steak)
- 1 ½ tablespoon steak seasoning (You can use 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of my steak seasoning, or you can use your favorite steak seasoning)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Place your 3 lbs roast picanha on a baking sheet with the fat cap side facing upwards. Score the fat cap using a sharp knife in a criss-cross pattern. Place a roasting rack on your baking sheet and set the roast on top. Press the 1 ½ tablespoon steak seasoning onto both sides of the roast as a dry brine. Refrigerate the roast overnight.
- An hour before you are ready to cook the roast, take it out of the fridge and set it on the counter to bring it to room temperature for at least an hour. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Heat the extra virgin 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer and is just beginning to smoke, place the roast in the pan and sear it for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the roast to a baking sheet and cook in your preheated oven at 400°F (205°C) for 40-50 minutes or until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 125-130°F (52-54°C).
- Place your roast on a cutting board under a loosely tented piece of foil and rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- It will take 40-50 minutes of cooking time for a 3-3.5 pound roast.
- A roast picanha is also known as a sirloin cap, rump cap, rump cover, or culotte.
- Scoring the fat cap will allow more flavor to distribute throughout your meat. It will result in a thin fat cap and a leaner slice of meat.
- To store: Place your completely cooled slices of roast picanha in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: Wrap your leftover roast with heavy-duty aluminum foil and place it in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and place your thawed roast picanha in a baking dish with some water or beef broth. Cook until it's heated through and warmed to your liking.
lyn says
so easy and tender. I am not a roast fan but this changed my mind. Wonderful recipe… I did and baby potatoes and small carrots . YUM
Dale says
Excellent beef roast. Cranked my oven to 500° at the end to crisp the top of the roast. Yummy