Looking for recomendations on how to make Picanha (Tri Tip) on a regular gas grill. I have heard of some tips including: - Marinating with Rock/Kosher Salt (I have sal grosso) and Olive Oil for 2-3 hours in the fridge then wiping it off before gilling. - Cooking first with the fat side up so that it can melt down into the meat. - Grill it on very hot fire (but be carefull not to let the flames on the Picanha). Not sure if I should grill it with the top open or closed .... - Whole piece should take 25-30 minutes. Any tips are appreciated.
I don't think that's the right way to do it. The fat must be on the side. Are you putting the whole piece there? Cut some stakes and put them on the grill. Thicker ones for those who like them rare and slimmer for those who don't. I don't like to put anything but salt. Remember to pay attention to the fibers when you cut the stakes. Don't cut them, but between them.
Somebody told me about the fat but I didn't put too much credit on it. I want to put the whole piece in there but I've seen it cut in 4 different pieces. The main thing for me is do I want to leave the grill open or close it. I'd say closed.
I got and electric grill for christmas and there is no cover. So, no need to close yours hehehe I fear the center of the piece will be too raw if you put the whole thing at once. Or the outside will be burned when the center becomes good. When you cut in steakes, you get better control.
Watch out a Real Gaucho entering the room.... Whats this Marinating and Olive oil business? No no..... Dont marinate...no olive oil....just the Sea Salt slapped on before BBQing and cook with the sea salt still on it...at end bang it off with a knife or as you go along...Marinating is for ************** (Just kidding...but seriously...no marinating!) Also try what I did...I got some Bricks and made a little churrasco pit...throw some Charcoal in it.....cut your meat and stab it on a scewer (i had some brought from Brazil) but you may be able to find a replacemet for that, for years I used a metal Rod as a scewer.... To me the important things are... - No contact of meat with grill, just let it hang in the heat - NO FIRE...just HEAT and lots of it... - Yes Fat up.... - OMG if you have to use the grill dont close the top...i really advocate traditional style Churrasco cooking...skewer...wood or charcoal and all...its so much more fun that way and impressive to your american friends...grills are for Hot Dogs....and dont forget the Caipirinhas...as for the size of the Meat....when you cook my way you can cut pieces and feed people as it cooks...so much more interactive...
I know I can buy a rotisserie skewer for my grill and just hang it over. It's even motorized and it will rotate by itself. I have a gas grill already and don't want the trouble (at least for now) to build a charcoal one. I just want to see what's the best way of doing it on a gas grill without the skewer. I know if I leave the lid open ... it takes a long time to cook. 45 minutes to an hour if I remember right.
Yes it will take longer but sometimes waiting a little longer can be a good thing. I dont particularly like the Closed method, i think the meat will taste better with a slooooww cook rather than a fast one...
Take 4 cinder blocks, 2 on each side, and put hardwood charcoal in the middle. place the skewers (espetu) across like a bridge and rotate them every couple of minutes, rub with coarse sea salt. The cinder blocks create height for the skewers and keep the coals in. That's about all you need, if you need skewers and the rest of the kid, drop me a line at jkkoplin@hotmail.com, I just started importing all the skewers and tools and will be glad to send you the catalog and such. Cheers and happy Churrasco!!
If you want all the tools and even a nice grill to make picanha, go to http://www.churrascoshop.com/, it's got all the espetu, salt and everything, even a link to another online shop that sells picanha etc.
The real picanha is a relatively small cut of meat that is triangle-shaped. It is directly connected to coxao duro, and if a butcher fails to properly cut the meat, you may end up eating coxao duro when you think you are eating picanha. Now don't get me wrong; I've eaten "picanha" at churrascarias countless times and the meat is indeed tasty and tender, which shows coxao duro isn't bad. But the truth is, picanha and coxao duro are not the same cut of meat. Picanha comes attached to alcatra; a membrane separates the two, and it takes little effort to separate picanha from alcatra (and it also doesn't take much to separate maminha from alcatra, either). Picanha can be made either whole (assada, if placed a considerable height above coals, and turned over once during a 45-minute period) or sliced (grelhada, which we all know and is extremely easy). As much as I love Brazilian cuisine and as much as I enjoy going to churrascarias, I'm now leaning more towards the "a la carte" style restaurants. On my next visit to Brazil, I am going to visit some of Sao Paulo's better a la carte steakhouses (such as Baby Beef Rubaiyat), Varanda Grill, and O Templo da Carne (formerly Bassi); I've been to all of them.
This thread is the first hit on Google for "how to cook picanya" so I thought I'd link everyone to this great video. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIQOIzTYz5E"]YouTube- A Magia do Churrasco - Marcos Bassi - Picanha[/ame]
Mr. Guardabassi is a churrasco legend. I love eating at his restaurant. Made picanha the other day... got a nice triangular chunk, sliced it into steaks, threw some salt, and grilled it. Juicy, tender, delicious, and bloody. Just the way it's supposed to be!
http://www.templodacarne.com.br/ It's very nice, it's very comfortable, and it's quite pricy. One thing I like is that you can choose the exact steak you want - they have a central table w/ the various cuts of beef which you can select and have grilled to your liking. The costela there is amazing, but also extremely expensive. This establishment also has a fridge which sells Brazilian and imported cuts of meat, as well as a large wine cellar and churrasco tools. I emphasize that this is above-average in quality, service, and cost, but as you know by now, the better restaurants in Sao Paulo are pricy even by NY standards.
Ah meu Deus............................... to morrendo de saudades da nossa carne brasileira! Gostosa demais! E eis aqui uma versão melhor desse mesmo clipe em baixo: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TblOQ3K63I0"]YouTube- Picanha - Assar e Grelhar (Marcos Bassi)[/ame]