Sous vide top sirloin cap, also known as rump cap, rump cover, coulotte steak or picanha is easy to make, super tender and full of incredible natural flavor. This wonderfully marbled cut of beef is both economical and sure to impress your dinner guests.
This tender and flavorful sous vide roast is about to be your new favorite cut of beef. The top sirloin cut is super tasty and best cooked just generously seasoned with salt. Serve it up in thick slices with my Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce and you’ve got yourself an impressive meal with little effort!
Gone are the days of being stressed about cooking any beef roast to the perfect temperature. No need to constantly check it with a meat thermometer. Sous vide a game changer for holidays and dinner parties when you’re juggling lots of things in the kitchen.
Sous vide really is the best way to make any steak recipe for a special occasion or to feed a crowd. You pretty much just set it and forget it and it cooks to the perfect internal temperature every single time!
Be sure to also check out this Sous Vide Tri Tip recipe.
What is top sirloin cap?
The top sirloin cap is a cut of beef taken from the top of the rump. Other common names are picanha, rump cap or coulotte steak. It has a triangular shape and a thick layer of fat on one side. It’s a muscle that isn’t overused so it remains tender and juicy with amazing flavor. It’s a specialty at Brazilian steakhouses where it’s grilled and sliced off of a skewer. Whole picanha can also be cooked in the oven or sliced into thick steaks and grilled.
Many people shy away from it as it can be tough when not cooked properly, making it perfect for sous vide! When perfectly done, it’s one of the best cuts of meat you can buy.
This very simple cooking method allows for the roast to gently cook to a very precise temperature with the same doneness from top to bottom. When done right, it’s one of the most tender cuts of beef you’ll ever taste and it has so much flavor. Sous vide makes cooking a picanha roast easy and pretty much fool proof with restaurant quality results!
What do I need to sous vide?
You do need some equipment to sous vide but it’s well worth the investment.
If you’re going to get into sous vide cooking, you will want a high quality immersion circulator (or sous vide machine). It should be easy to use and keep a consistent temperature throughout the cooking process. After much research, I decided on the Breville Joule and I absolutely love it. It’s easy to set up through the app and monitor the temperature and cooking process on my phone.
You will also need a large container or pot and heavy duty vacuum seal bags. I definitely love using the vacuum seal bags, but you can also use freezer bags with the water displacement method.
I also have a lid for my container that’s specially designed just for sous vide. You can use plastic wrap but you may as well get a lid if you’re going to be sous vide cooking! It’s critical to cover the water bath to minimize evaporation during the cooking process.
Here is all of the equipment I recommend.
Ingredients
All you need is two simple ingredients – the meat and some coarse salt! You don’t really need a fancy spice rub or anything. This flavorful and juicy cut of beef really shines on it’s own.
Top sirloin cap can be tricky to find in your local grocery store. A knowledgeable butcher will know exactly what you are asking for. A good quality sirloin cap should be about 1.5-3 pounds and feed 4-6 hungry people.
Method
Fill a large container with water. The water level should be high enough to cover the roast but not so high that it overflows when you add it. Set your immersion circulator to 131 degrees and secure it to the side of the container. 131 degrees is the lowest temperature you can go to ensure that it remains food-safe throughout the long cooking process. It will come out perfectly medium rare throughout the whole roast! For best results I would not recommend going any higher, but if you like yours more well done, you can go up to 140 degrees.
Take the sirloin cap out of the refrigerator about an hour before you’re ready to cook and let it come to room temperature. Using a sharp paring knife, score the fat cap side of the roast in a cross hatch pattern. Season liberally with kosher salt and place in the sous vide bag. Use a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method to make sure that all of the air is out of the bag before tightly sealing. This is the most important step so make sure you do it correctly!
Place the sealed bag in the water bath and clip the top of the bag to the side of the container with a binder clip. Cover the water bath with a lid or plastic wrap to minimize evaporation and cook for 4 hours. Remove the meat from the plastic bag and pat it dry again with paper towels.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove and add a bit of avocado or high smoke point oil of your choice and heat until it shimmers. Carefully place the roast fat side down and sear for about 2-3 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip the roast and sear the other side of the steak for another 2-3 minutes.
Transfer the roast to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut it against the grain into half inch thick slices.
Pro tips for best results
- Invest in a high quality sous vide immersion circulator.
- Source your meats from a knowledgeable butcher or reputable delivery high quality delivery service like Butcher Box.
- Remove as much air as possible from the plastic bag before you immerse the roast in water. This is absolutely critical.
- If the roast starts to float, use a pair of locking tongs over the side of the container to hold it submerged in place.
- Pat the roast dry on all sides with paper towels after sous vide cooking and before searing. This ensures that it will get nice and brown.
What to serve with sous vide top sirloin cap?
- Definitely this Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce
- Rice and beans
- Potato salad
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Green salad
- Grilled Corn and Zucchini Salad
- Grilled or roasted veggies or my Shaved Vegetable Salad
- Baby Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Sous Vide Top Sirloin Cap (Picanha)
Ingredients
- 2 pound Top sirloin cap roast (picanha) 1.5-3 pound range
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil (or other high smoke point oil) for searing
Instructions
- Take the roast out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
- Fill a large container or pot with water and set your sous vide immersion circulator to 131 degrees.
- With a sharp paring knife, score the fat cap on the roast in a cross hatch pattern. Season all sides of the roast with kosher salt.
- Place whole roast in a heavy duty freezer bag or vacuum seal bag and remove all of the air using a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method.
- Make sure the bag is sealed and fully immerse in water bath heated to temperature. Clip the top of the bag to the side of the container.
- Cover water bath with lid or plastic wrap and cook for 4 hours.
- Remove roast from water bath and plastic bag and pat dry with paper towels.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot and add avocado oil. When it shimmers, use tongs to carefully place the roast fat cap side down and sear for 2-3 minutes. Flip the roast and sear for another 2-3 minutes.
- Slice against the grain and serve.
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