I found a two pack of Top Sirloin Cap roasts at Costco the other day and was surprised to see that they were about the least expensive cut of beef at the store! The Top Sirloin Cap, which many people call picanha, is great when grilled or smoked to Medium Rare.
Let me show you how to make a smoked Top Sirloin Cap on a pellet grill so you can cook this beauty on your pit tonight!
Let’s get started!
Prepare the Top Sirloin Cap for the Smoker
I got a a two-pack of these steaks at Costco for $6.99 a pound. There were two roasts that each weighed a little over two pounds. I smoked one of them and will probably cook the other one by Sous Vide for comparison.
When you look at the roast you can understand how it got its name. This roast is a whole muscle from the top of the sirloin primal and has a large fat cap on one side. Since the Sirloin comes from the back end of the steer this cut is also sometimes called a Rump Cap.
Season the Picanha with a Dry Rub
Start by applying a thin coat of yellow mustard to the beef to help the dry rub adhere. A general rule is to use a tablespoon of mustard per pound of meat.
Since this roast weighed in at just over 2 pounds I ended up using about 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard. Don’t sweat this step. Just squirt some mustard on and spread it all over the meat. It isn’t an exact science!
Some people prefer to use other binders instead of mustard. Popular alternative binder choices include:
- Olive oil
- Worcestershire sauce
- Soy Sauce
Once the mustard has been applied you can season it with the dry rub. You can use our Award Winning Beef Rub or use the dry rub that I used given below:
- 3 tbls salt
- 1 tbls smoked paprika
- 1 tbls chili powder
- 1 tbls black pepper
- 1 tbls brown sugar
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp granulated onion
- 1/2 tsp celery powder
- 1/4 tsp Accent (MSG)
This is the same rub I used on the Smoked Eye of Round that turned out so amazing.
Let the rub sit on the meat for at least 30 minutes at room temperature so it can start to melt and penetrate the beef. I inserted a toothpick into the roast that was running along the direction of the grain. I was using the toothpick as a marker just in case the darkened when it set and I lost the ability to see the grain.
Smoke the Top Sirloin Cap at 225F on Your Pellet Grill
I was cooking on my Z Grills pellet grill set at 225F. You can do this on your Traeger, Pit Boss or Camp Chef and it will turn out just fine.
Use the wood pellet of your choice but I am a fan of burning hickory when smoking beef.
I put the roast on the smoker with the fat side down. Placing the fat closer to the hot grease tray helps the fat render and puts a little crust on the fat.
After about an hour I flipped the roast over just to give me an excuse to open the pit and take a picture!
Cook to an Internal Temperature of 135F
Let the roast smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 135F.
Depending upon the thickness of your roast and how cold it was when it went on your smoker this should take between 60 and 90 minutes.
Slicing the Beef
One the meat reaches 135F remove it from the smoker, tent with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Slice the beef thinly against the grain and serve.
The salty, spicy and just ever so slightly sweet dry rub worked great with this cut of beef. The meat had a wonderful sirloin flavor with the succulence that comes from a perfectly rendered fat cap.
Give this recipe a try sometime and let me know how it turned out for you!
Smoked Top Sirloin Cap
Equipment
- Traeger, Pit Boss or Z Grills pellet grill
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs Top Sirloin Cap Roast (Picanha)
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- Dry Rub Ingredients
- 3 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp granulated onion
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp celery powder
- 1/4 tsp Accent (MSG)
Instructions
- Combine the dry rub ingredients and mix well.
- Lightly coat the roast with the yellow mustard or other binder of choice.
- Apply a generous coating of the dry rub to the roast and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Set your pellet grill to 225F using hickory pellets or wood of choice.
- Smoke the meat for 90 minutes or until an internal temperature of 135F is reached.
- Let the meat cool and slice thinly against the grain.