Braaied picanha steaks with soy, lime, garlic and cumin

Picanha. Made for fast cooking. Tender at first bite. Ideal for a rare finish, yet given to a delicious crust where the flames have touched it.

It’s the perfect steak, for my money.

If you don’t know it yet, it’s best cooked twice. First, whole. Then sliced into steaks and seared on both sides.

Picanha is, sort of, rump; a triangular muscle located above the rump at the beast’s tail end, and contains a lovely cap of fat. The uneducated have been known to trim away that fat cap while those in the know scream, aghast, and call for the sal volatile. And a guillotine.

That cap of fat is what gives the cut, when cooked, its superb flavour and also contributes to its succulent tenderness.

It is cooked fat-side-down first, ideally in fire, not merely very hot coals. I do that for about eight minutes. Then the opposite side is cooked for a few minutes, about three. Then it’s taken off, goes onto a board, and steaks are cut.

Sear, turn, sear, and supper is ready.

I mixed a marinade that included soy, lime and cumin, with lots of garlic, and boy were those flavours delicious.

Tony’s braaied picanha steaks with soy, cumin, lime and garlic

(Serves 4 to 6 depending on the weight of the picanha)

Ingredients

1 picanha, about 1.5kg

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

Juice of 2 limes

1 tsp cumin seeds

Salt and ground black pepper

Method

In a bowl large enough to hold the whole picanha, mix the soy and lime with olive oil, cumin seeds, chopped garlic, salt and black pepper.

Douse the picanha in this, turning a few times, then leave it fat-side-up and put the bowl in the fridge.

Remove it from the fridge an hour before it’s time to put it on the coals.

Prepare masses of very hot coals and have more fuel to hand (wood or charcoal).

Have a clean grid ready, and put it quite close to very hot coals.

Season the picanha with coarse salt and black pepper and put it on the grid skin-side down. Don’t fret if the flames shoot up, a few minutes of that will do good more than harm.

After 8 minutes, turn it over for 3 minutes more.

Remove to a board and slice into nice thick steaks. Season each side with salt.

Put the steaks back on for 2 to 2½ minutes on each side, or less if you like your steak blue.

Your favourite braai sides – a crisp salad, foil-roasted potatoes and the like need to be chosen ahead and ready to serve. DM

Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award.

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.