Pan-Seared Picanha Steak (Coulotte Steak)

This pan-seared picanha steak (coulotte steak) is a simple alternative to cooking it over an open flame. Served with garlic herb compound butter, it has a rich, beefy flavor with a buttery, garlicky finish.

Picanha, also known as coulotte steak, is a beef cut that sears beautifully in a pan. Since picanha is cut from a larger roast, you can get nice, thick steaks, which is exactly what you want for this recipe. It’s one of my favorite cuts to cook on the stovetop.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the steaks:

• Picanha steak (coulotte steak, top sirloin cap steak): For the best results, look for a well-marbled steak about 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm) thick (8-16 oz / 230-450 g). A thicker steak gives you more time to build a deep, flavorful crust before the center reaches your target pull temperature, especially when cooking it rare or medium-rare.
• Salt: Use about 1% of the steak’s weight in salt for the dry brine. For a 12 oz (340 g) steak, that’s about 0.12 oz (3.4 g). I prefer kosher salt because it’s easy to distribute evenly over the steak’s surface, but table salt works just as well. Since salt varies by brand and crystal size, weighing it gives the most consistent results. I’ve included approximate teaspoon measurements for a few common salts in the instructions below. Once you know the salt you use, you can eyeball it.
• Oil: Choose a neutral, high-smoke-point oil for searing. I usually go with refined avocado oil, but refined olive oil, refined high-oleic safflower oil, refined high-oleic canola oil, or refined peanut oil work well. Ghee (clarified butter) is another good option. Skip regular butter for the sear, since it burns quickly over high heat.

For the garlic-herb compound butter:

This makes enough compound butter for about two thick picanha steaks.

• Butter: 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick; 56 g) unsalted butter. Use real butter, not margarine.
• Rosemary: 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary.
• Parsley: 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley, or 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley.
• Garlic: 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed.
• Salt and black pepper: Start with a generous pinch of each, about 1/8 teaspoon, then taste the butter and adjust as needed.

Tools You’ll Need

• Wire rack and rimmed baking sheet: Use these for dry-brining. The rack keeps the steak elevated so air can circulate around it, while the baking sheet catches any moisture released during the dry-brining process.
• Heavy skillet: A cast-iron skillet works best because it holds heat extremely well, allowing the steak to develop a deeper, more flavorful crust. Carbon-steel or heavy stainless-steel skillets are good alternatives. Don’t use a nonstick skillet for high-heat searing.
• Long tongs: They make it easier to flip and move the steak while keeping your hands away from the hot pan and splattering oil.
• Meat thermometer: Use one to monitor the steak’s internal temperature so you can pull it from the pan before it overcooks. An instant-read thermometer is great for quick checks, while a leave-in probe lets you monitor the steak’s internal temperature as it cooks.

How to Pan-Sear a Picanha Steak

Optional: Trim the Picanha Steak

Skip this step if your steak is already trimmed.

Pat the steak completely dry with paper towels. If the fat cap is especially thick, trim off some of the excess, but leave at least 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) intact.

Dry-Brine the Picanha Steak

If you haven’t already, pat the steak dry on all sides with paper towels. Season both sides with salt equal to about 1% of the steak’s weight.

For a 12 oz (340 g) picanha steak, that’s about 0.12 oz (3.4 g) of salt, or approximately:

• 1 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt,
• 3/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt,
• or 1/2 teaspoon table salt.

Place the salted steak on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and refrigerate it uncovered. For the best results, dry-brine it for 3 to 6 hours. One hour is the minimum. If you don’t have at least an hour, skip the advance salting. Season it immediately before searing instead, or add salt to the sliced steak after cooking.

Make the Garlic-Herb Compound Butter

Cut the butter into small cubes and place them in a bowl. Let the butter soften at room temperature until it’s easy to mix but still firm enough to hold its shape. To speed things up, microwave it in a microwave-safe bowl in 5-second bursts, checking after each one.

Add the rosemary, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mash everything together with a fork until evenly combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, then refrigerate the compound butter until you’re ready to use it.

Preheat the Pan

Take the steak out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking. Set the compound butter on the counter as well so it can soften slightly before serving.

Before you start searing, turn on the exhaust fan or open a window. Searing a steak over high heat produces a lot of smoke. Preheat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, then add 2 tablespoons of high-smoke-point oil and let it heat for another minute.

While the skillet heats, pat the steak dry with paper towels. The drier the surface, the better it will brown, and the easier it will be to get a deep crust.

Pan-Sear the Picanha Steak

Hold the picanha steak with tongs and sear it fat-side down for 60 to 90 seconds to render the fat cap. Then lay the steak flat and continue searing, flipping every 30 seconds so it cooks evenly and develops a deep crust on both sides.

After 3 minutes, start checking the internal temperature. Insert your meat thermometer horizontally into the thickest part of the steak. Once the steak reaches the pull temperature listed in the chart below, transfer it to a cutting board or plate, top with 1 to 2 tablespoons of compound butter, and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Pan-Seared Picanha Steak Temperature Chart

Desired doneness	Pull at internal temp	Final temp after resting
Rare	105°F (41°C)	125°F (52°C)
Medium-Rare	115°F (46°C)	135°F (57°C)
Medium	125°F (52°C)	145°F (63°C)
Medium-Well	135°F (57°C)	155°F (68°C)
Well-Done	145°F (63°C)	165°F (74°C)

Slice and Serve

After the steak has rested, slice it thinly against the grain and serve with your favorite sides. If you’re not sure how to slice it properly, see the guide below.

How to Slice Pan-Seared Picanha Steak (Coulotte Steak) Properly?

There’s a lot of debate about the best way to slice picanha, but the basic rule is simple: always slice steak against the grain. Cutting across the muscle fibers shortens them, which makes the steak easier to chew.

With picanha, the butcher may cut the raw steaks with or against the grain, so after cooking, your job is to find the grain direction and slice thinly across it. It doesn’t matter how the butcher cut the raw steaks; once you can see the grain after cooking, just slice against it.

To make this easier, ask your butcher to cut the raw picanha steaks with the grain. Then, when you slice the cooked steak crosswise, you’ll naturally be cutting against the grain.

Keep in mind, slicing against the grain doesn’t actually “tenderize” the meat in a technical sense – it doesn’t change the muscle structure. What it does is shorten the muscle fibers, which makes the steak easier to chew and feel more tender in every bite. That’s why it works so well for tougher cuts with long, thick muscle fibers.

This video shows exactly how to slice picanha against the grain.

What Is the Best Doneness for Pan-Seared Picanha Steak?

In my opinion, well-marbled picanha is best cooked to medium-rare or medium, around 135 to 145°F (57 to 63°C). At this doneness, the intramuscular fat (marbling) softens and renders enough to make the steak juicier, more tender, and more flavorful.

You can cook picanha past medium if you prefer, but the longer it cooks, the more juiciness and tenderness it loses. I also wouldn’t go much below medium-rare unless you’re working with a particularly lean piece of picanha. With a well-marbled steak, cooking it too rare leaves the fat firm and waxy instead of letting it soften and render properly.

What to Serve with Pan-Seared Picanha Steak

A well-marbled picanha is just as good as a strip steak, so I like to keep the sides simple and let the steak be the star. These are the ones I serve most often:

• French Fries
• Mashed Potatoes
• Crispy Roasted Potatoes
• Steakhouse Potato Wedges
• Tomato and Red Onion Salad
• Arugula Salad
• Roasted Broccolini
• Roasted Green Beans
• Roasted Asparagus

Tips for the Best Pan-Seared Picanha Steak – Key Takeaways

• Choose a thicker steak. For the best results, look for a picanha steak that’s about 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm) thick. The extra thickness gives you more time to develop a deep crust before the center reaches your target temperature.
• Choose a steak with plenty of fine streaks of fat (intramuscular fat/marbling) throughout the meat. More marbling means better flavor, juiciness, and tenderness.
• Dry the steak well. Pat the steak dry with paper towels before salting, then pat it dry again before it goes into the pan. Less surface moisture means better browning and a deeper crust.
• Dry-brine for 3 to 6 hours. This gives the salt time to season the steak more deeply while the uncovered surface dries out in the refrigerator. A drier surface browns better in the pan and helps the steak develop a deeper, more even crust.
• Use about 1% salt by weight. That’s enough to season the steak thoroughly without risking an overly salty result.
• Don’t salt it 2 to 45 minutes before cooking. Salting the steak during this window pulls moisture to the surface, making it harder to develop a deep, well-browned crust, especially on thinner steaks.
• Use a heavy skillet. A cast-iron skillet works best because it holds heat extremely well.
• Preheat the pan well. You need a very hot pan to get a good crust. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, then add the oil and let it heat for another minute before adding the steak.
• Use a high-smoke-point oil. Choose an oil with a smoke point of 450°F (232°C) or higher.
• Use a meat thermometer. Don’t rely on cooking time to judge doneness. Go by the steak’s internal temperature.
• Flip the steak every 30 seconds. Frequent flipping helps the steak cook evenly and develop a more even crust.
• Pull it before it reaches your target temperature. After a hard sear, the internal temperature keeps rising as the steak rests. I pull it about 20°F (11°C) below my target, then let it rest for 5 minutes.
• Cook it medium-rare to medium: Well-marbled picanha is at its best at this doneness, with a juicy, tender texture and rich beefy flavor.
• Rest it with compound butter: Top the steak with compound butter while it rests. The heat will melt the butter over the steak, adding richness and garlic-herb flavor.
• Slice it against the grain: Slice the picanha steak thinly across the grain. This shortens the muscle fibers and makes each bite easier to chew.

I go into these tips in more detail in my guide on how to pan-sear a steak.

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Try Some of My Other Steak Recipes

• Pan-Seared Ribeye Steak
• Pan-Seared Filet Mignon
• Pan-Seared Cowboy Steak
• Pan-Seared Flat Iron Steak
• Pan-Seared Porterhouse Steak