Picanha Smoked Brisket Style

[bbqb0ss]

First time smoking a picanha like a brisket last week. Did a low and slow smoke on my yoder with a few refills of the smoker tube. Let it rest for about 5hrs after. Passed the flapper test and was really tasty. I think with this texture, picanha would make an amazing pastrami cook.

 

[Get’n Smokey]

Nice smoke ring and awesome bark

Nailed it!

 

[bowhnter]

That there looks pretty dang good.

 

[tom b]

I have heard of this before. Never would it ever be tolerated at my crib. I know this because Mrs. b told me so.

 

[TheHojo]

May have to try one pastrami style - what temp did you take yours too - 200 plus?

 

[Stingerhook]

I love me a good experiment, and yours looks great.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

That could be interesting as Pastrami

 

[snadamo]

color me impressed! How did it taste compared to brisket?

 

[bbqb0ss]

May have to try one pastrami style - what temp did you take yours too - 200 plus?

Yup 201- for wrap I used foil boat method (just wrapped the sides/bottom) and for the rest it was in my oven on keep warm mode.

As far as taste compared to brisket, fairly similar, was like a more fatty flat. Hard to explain but the fat cap/thicker muscle fibers made for a tasty bite.

 

[Itsdone]

Yup 201- for wrap I used foil boat method (just wrapped the sides/bottom) and for the rest it was in my oven on keep warm mode.

As far as taste compared to brisket, fairly similar, was like a more fatty flat. Hard to explain but the fat cap/thicker muscle fibers made for a tasty bite.

How is that possible? Unless ive been lied to, Picanha is a lean cut like sirloin with a signature fat cap. Have i been lied to? Serious question because Picanha is and has never been available in my region/area. That said, i have had this cut at a Brazilian steakhouse and it was lean but more tender then sirloin, and more flavorful then tenderloin. I just don't see how you bring this cut to 200F and it not be either dry and tough if done fast, or mush or pulpy if done low and slow.

 

[Gore]

Wow, that is really exciting. I think I'm going to have to invest in picanha this weekend.

 

[bbqb0ss]

How is that possible? Unless ive been lied to, Picanha is a lean cut like sirloin with a signature fat cap. Have i been lied to? Serious question because Picanha is and has never been available in my region/area. That said, i have had this cut at a Brazilian steakhouse and it was lean but more tender then sirloin, and more flavorful then tenderloin. I just don't see how you bring this cut to 200F and it not be either dry and tough if done fast, or mush or pulpy if done low and slow.

Dunno- this was the first time doing it. Here is a picture of it resting (you can see a lot of fat in the foil boat)

 

[Gore]

OK, I picked up two wee ones to give it a try. I was curious how long your cook took. As bob pointed out above there is a lot less to break down in this cut and was wondering if the cooking time is significantly shorter. I normally do my briskets slow and over night and give it a looooooong rest, but if it is much shorter, I might go hot and fast and throw them on in the morning.

 

[Gore]

I gave it a shot. I tossed it on at 11:00pm at 210*. This was a Costco duo-pack, one of their larger ones, choice, ~6.8lbs total, so not very big. One was quite a bit thinner than the other. I seasoned with salt, pepper, some Worcestershire, and a bit of red chile powder. They were fat-cap down in an Al pan and I have a MAK, so the heat source is on the bottom. I woke up at 7:00am and knew I wouldn't be able to sleep anymore because I was worried about the baby one. I really didn't need to be. They probed about 160-170* and there was a lot of resistance to the probe. I cranked the temp up to 240* to give them a bit more bark (I like bark) and an hour later, I put a sheet of foil over the top. About an hour and a half later, the temperature probe went in like butter and it read over 200*, that was a bit more than I wanted. The temp climbed fast, much faster than the briskets I've done, probably because it didn't have much to break down. I tossed them in the oven and let them sit about 3-4 hours for lunch. I sliced the little one. For me, it was a bit dry and mushy, but I wasn't surprised as I expected it to be overcooked. I later sliced the larger one and it was quite good. My daughter thought it was brisket. My wife said she liked it better than brisket and is planning on more. It was definitely tender, moist and had a great deal of flavor. it's a more expensive cut, of course, but there is a lot less waste and I'm guessing easier to get a tender product.

 

[Gore]

I gave it a shot. I tossed it on at 11:00pm at 210*. This was a Costco duo-pack, one of their larger ones, choice, ~6.8lbs total, so not very big. One was quite a bit thinner than the other. I seasoned with salt, pepper, some Worcestershire, and a bit of red chile powder. They were fat-cap down in an Al pan and I have a MAK, so the heat source is on the bottom. I woke up at 7:00am and knew I wouldn't be able to sleep anymore because I was worried about the baby one. I really didn't need to be. They probed about 160-170* and there was a lot of resistance to the probe. I cranked the temp up to 240* to give them a bit more bark (I like bark) and an hour later, I put a sheet of foil over the top. About an hour and a half later, the temperature probe went in like butter and it read over 200*, that was a bit more than I wanted. The temp climbed fast, much faster than the briskets I've done, probably because it didn't have much to break down. I tossed them in the oven and let them sit about 3-4 hours for lunch. I sliced the little one. For me, it was a bit dry and mushy, but I wasn't surprised as I expected it to be overcooked. I later sliced the larger one and it was quite good. My daughter thought it was brisket. My wife said she liked it better than brisket and is planning on more. It was definitely tender, moist and had a great deal of flavor. it's a more expensive cut, of course, but there is a lot less waste and I'm guessing easier to get a tender product.

OK, I just heated up a thick slice of the thicker picanha for breakfast. I'd have to agree with my wife. It was extremely tender and juicy, almost creamy, at least as good as any brisket flat I've cooked.

 

[bowhnter]

I'm gonna have to try this at least once.
Thanks bbq0ss and Gore.

 

[Gore]

I'm gonna have to try this at least once.
Thanks bbq0ss and Gore.

Give it a shot and see. Just beware the rapid temperature rise at the end. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm wondering about trying this with a tritip or a flank. I guess I should do a search. Someone must've done this before.