Beef

Sous Vide Picanha: 134°F, a Hard Sear, and Sliced Like Roast Beef

Posted by Steve Miller on

Early in my sous vide journey, I watched a lot of content from a YouTube channel called Sous Vide Everything. I learned a lot from it early on and refined what worked best for me using this method. Some cuts turn out incredible sous vide; others, in my opinion, aren’t worth the extra effort. The one cut they always raved about was picanha — a sirloin cut with a top fat cap. The main advantage of cooking it this way is getting a perfectly cooked piece of meat edge to edge, with that fat cap rendering down beautifully in the process.

I’d never seen it sold at my local Kroger, Publix, or Sprouts. I’d seen it at Costco a few times before, priced around $40, but in October 2022 I finally pulled the trigger. Costco labels it “Beef Loin Top Sirloin Cap.” My package was USDA Choice, 4.21 lb, and came to $25.22.

Raw picanha before seasoning

I’ve cooked picanha four times since then, and it’s become one of my favorite things to come out of the sous vide.

Sous Vide Picanha at a Glance

  • Seasoning: garlic powder, black pepper, and salt
  • Bag: vacuum sealed
  • Water bath: 134°F for about 6 hours
  • Before searing: run the bag under cold water
  • Sear: propane grill on its sear setting at about 600°F, 3–4 minutes, flipping every minute
  • Rest: about 5 minutes
  • Slice: thin, like roast beef. I’ve never cut it into steaks

Prep: Two Pieces in One Package

The recommended preparation is to season, then sous vide — you can do this in a ziplock bag, a reusable bag, or a vacuum sealed bag; I’ve always used vacuum sealed. Costco packs come with two pieces. I seasoned both with garlic powder, black pepper, and salt, sealed them separately, cooked one, and froze the other.

Seasoned picanha vacuum sealed before the water bath

How Long to Sous Vide Picanha

There are different schools of thought on temperature, but I went with 134°F. Based on the time I had, I let it go 6 hours in the water. Temp determines how done the final product is; time in the water determines how tender it gets. The main objective is getting that fat cap to fully render.

Sous vide circulator in a cooler water bath

How to Sear Sous Vide Picanha

I’ll admit, it’s not very attractive coming out of a vacuum bag after 6 hours in the water.

Picanha removed from the sous vide bag after 6 hours

There’s a real risk of overcooking a piece of meat that’s already been precisely cooked to 134°F. To prevent that, I run the bag under cold water right after pulling it, to bring the temperature down before searing.

There are several ways to sear — a propane torch, a screaming hot cast iron pan, the oven broiler. I use my Weber propane grill’s searing option, let it get up to 600°F, then drop the picanha on.

Picanha searing on a 600 degree grill

The sear takes about 3–4 minutes, flipping every minute to build a good char.

Picanha seared and resting before slicing

How to Slice Picanha: Like Roast Beef

A lot of people cut picanha into steaks. I never have. I sear it whole, let it rest about 5 minutes, and slice it thin like roast beef. That first time, the results were better than expected — fantastic, cooked perfectly, and so tender. The sliced shots are some of my favorite photos on this site, and the taste lives up to them.

Finished sliced sous vide picanha

Cooking It Again: The Frozen Half and Two More

The second piece from that first package went into the freezer, already seasoned and sealed. I cooked it on January 8, 2023.

Second picanha out of the sous vide bag, January 2023
Seared picanha with a dark crust
Sliced picanha on a plate, pink edge to edge

I bought picanha again and cooked it on June 2, 2024, searing it on the grill.

Picanha searing over flames on the grill
Whole seared picanha resting on a cutting board
Picanha sliced like roast beef on a cutting board

The next month, on July 24, 2024, I did it again. As always, there were two pieces in the pack, seasoned and bagged that morning.

Two seasoned picanha pieces, one vacuum sealed
Sous vide picanha going onto the grill to sear

One of these cooks wasn’t for me at all. A friend I play golf with had raved about my earlier picanha pictures, so I cooked one for him and dropped it off at his house.

FAQ

How long do you sous vide picanha? I cook it at 134°F for about 6 hours. The temperature sets how done it is; the time affects tenderness and lets the fat cap render.

Do you cut picanha into steaks? No. I sear it whole and slice it thin like roast beef.

Can you freeze picanha before cooking it? Yes. I seasoned and vacuum sealed the second piece from my first package, froze it, and cooked it a little under three months later.

Where do you buy picanha? Costco, where it’s labeled “Beef Loin Top Sirloin Cap” and comes two pieces to a pack. I’ve never seen it at my local Kroger, Publix, or Sprouts.

Want to see this same pure sous vide approach on a more everyday cut? Check out my Smoke Free Sous Vide Strip Steak post. Sous Vide Strip Steak