Picanha Steak | Top Sirloin Caps

Easy Barbecue

If you’re not familiar with Picanha, just know that it is the caps of Top Sirloin and that it isn’t an overused muscle so, the meat tends to be super tender when it’s cooked. It’s also fairly inexpensive and the popularity of these cuts are growing because of the amazing results achieved from a simple barbecue or rotisserie. Brazilian restaurants like Rodizio’s and Tucanos have introduced this style of cooking and slapped the staple on this fine cut.

Preparing Picanha

Technically, you can cut up these caps and serve them any way you like. I tend to clean each cut, cutting away the silverskin and unwanted fat, and then slice the steak ,with the grain, into for pieces; all being equal in thickness not length. These steaks can then be seasoned and cooked as is or shanked onto shish kebab skewers for a rotisserie or easy flipping on the grill or under a broiler.

Grilling Top Sirloin Caps

The easiest way to cook these Picanha steaks on the grill is cook on low, with the lid down. I time it, flipping every five minutes for approximately 20 minutes total. It’s not a bad idea to monitor the internal temp with a meat thermometer, if you’re a bit inexperienced, especially if you like to “reverse sear”. In this video tutorial, I demonstrate grilling under bad circumstances to show you how to overcome hot spots and flare ups.

final results

Truthfully, these are the WORST looking picanha steaks I could’ve put on camera but, as you can see down below, the results were tremendous. So, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. These steaks were great and I even made tacos, the next day, with the leftovers.

Picanha Top sirloin Steak Ingredients:

2 Top Sirloin Caps

1 tbsp Garlic, minced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Pepper

Blackened Seasoning, optional

Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage

Large dish with green Basil Pesto Radiatore Pasta cooked with breakfast sausage.

The Best Pesto Pasta

If you’ve never had Pesto or you did and didn’t think you liked it, doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like it prepared differently. Pesto is an Italian sauce/paste that is 5 basic ingredients that can be improved or lessoned upon, depending on your desired tastes. Thos ingredients are Basil, Garlic, Pine or Almond nuts, Garlic, Olive oil, Parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Depending on how much you add of each can change the desired outcome of the pesto, completely. That’s why, today, I’m going to offer you 2 different recipes for this pasta.

1 lb of Cooked Jimmy Dean Sausage in a large pan on the stove.

Protein for your Pesto Pasta

Whether you realize this or not, most Italian sauce recipes require a specific pasta. Pesto, for example needs a pasta that has texture and grip. That’s why it’s good to use pastas like Penne, Fusilli, Cavatappi or Radiatore pasta, just like I use in this recipe. These noodles hold the sauce in there grooves and it’s just as important to choose which protein, best fits your dish.

In this recipe, I’ve chosen a simple breakfast sausage but Pesto is very versatile. You can use Veil, Lamb, Shrimp & Scallops or something simple, like chicken. Just be sure to cook the meat, all the way through before adding all of the other ingredients.

How to cook Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage Ingredients:

12 oz Pasta, Radiatore, Penne or Shells
1 lb Ground Breakfast Sausage, cooked
4 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Whipping Cream
3/4 cup Pesto

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Basil Pesto Recipe

2 oz Basil, no stems
2 Garlic cloves, ground
1/4 cup whole Almonds, ground
1 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup Olive Oil, extra virgin
1/2 tsp Pink Salt, Himalayan or Kosher

Here is the recipe for the alternate Pesto Sauce. Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage.

Pan Fried Pork Chops

Two beautifully seasoned and cooked Pork chops on a black plate with cooked garlic cloves and herbs.

The BEST Classic Pork Chop

This is a bone in center cut tenderloin pork chop recipe. These are thin chops cut about 1/2″ to 5/8″ inch thick, seasoned and pan fried with bacon grease, butter, fresh herbs and cloves of garlic. It’s a quick recipe, cooked with a room temperature chop in under 7 minutes. The flavor is incredible and it is, hands down, my favorite way to cook pork chops.

A package of four, un-cooked, center cut pork tenderloin steaks.
4 unwrapped, raw, center cut pork tenderloin steaks
2 fully cooked pork chops on a black plate with cooked Garlic, Rosemary and Thyme.
How to cook Pan Fried Pork Chops video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Bone-in Pork Chops

2 Pork chops, 5/8″ inch thick
Kosher Salt & Pepper
1 tbsp Bacon Grease
2 tbsp Butter
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Sprig Thyme
1 branch Rosemary
1 Sprig Oregano or Sage, optional

Hot Pan, Medium High Heat #5 Setting on my stove. Grease in, Garlic & Herbs in, chops in bones in the middle. Cook 3 minutes then flip. Add Butter, cook another 3 min. Spoon the butter over the chops then sear the fat sides. Add the chops back to the skillet, spoon the butter once more and remove the herbs.

I love these Pork Chops with No Bake Barbecue Baked Beans, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Dirty Rice and Garlic Parmesan Brussel Sprouts.

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make these incredible Pan Fried Pork Chops.