To cook picanha: leave the fat cap on and score it, salt heavily an hour ahead, cut with the grain into thick strips, and skewer each in a C-shape with the fat on the outside. Grill fat-cap toward the fire first so it renders and bastes the meat, cook to medium-rare, then rest and slice thin across the grain. About 30 minutes, and simpler than any steakhouse makes it look.

If you’ve only met picanha at a Brazilian steakhouse, you’ve been missing how simple it is at home. This is the sirloin cap — a triangle of beef with a thick fat cap that renders into something close to magic over live fire.

How do you prep picanha?

Leave the fat cap on. That’s the whole point. Score it in a crosshatch, cutting into the fat but not the meat. Salt heavily with coarse salt an hour ahead.

Cut the picanha into thick strips with the grain, then bend each strip into a C and skewer it so the fat cap sits on the outside of the curve.

How do you grill picanha?

Get your grill hot and set the skewers fat-cap toward the fire first. As the fat renders, it bastes the meat below it. Turn when the cap is golden and crackling.

You’re after medium-rare in the thickest part. Pull, rest, then slice thin across the grain. Each slice should have a ribbon of that rendered cap along the edge.

What do you serve with picanha?

Traditionally: a little farofa, some chimichurri, and nothing else complicated. The beef is the event. Everything else is just there to keep it company.