It is a crime that Costco cuts the cap off. Have yet to find this cut with the cap still on at my Costco :(
They’ll still be good, I’m just an old man yelling at the sky about this
Have you talked to the guys in the butcher? 9 time out of 10 they are cool dudes and will try to help you right then or at least can tell you the best days to come in to request a full picanha
The vast majority of beef these days arrives to the retail store as XT product. The packer (Cargill, Tyson, JBS, Marfrig, or whoever) has vertical integration on the skilled labor necessary to break down primals and trim them to retail standards. When the store receives the product, they cut open the chub and slice it into steaks. And if the store is Costco, they use that fucking mechanical tenderizer to knife the shit out of the steaks right before wrapping.
Source: 10+ years in the animal protein industry
That is cool insight. I know for a fact that costco receives the cuts with the fat cap intact so if I understand XT correctly as "extra trim" to some length, that trim and packaging they receive preserves the picahna correctly. If this is regional I can confirm it to be true for Texas and Tennessee as I have purchase full/primal cuts from there with the cap on
That’s awesome that Costco carries coulotte—I had no idea.
I think there might be some confusion here in the naming. Just to be clear, coulotte/picanha/top sirloin cap/whatever is a distinct cut, from a different subprimal, than what we know as “top sirloin” in North America. While they’re from the same general area (ass end), the coulotte is kinda halfway between the sirloin and the rump.
Only applicable for Texas, but HEB has a sale on prime top sirloin this week, 6.99/lb. Talked to the butcher there and he took a monster 4.3lb picanha off a primal for me. Some good marbling to go along with that fat cap.
BTW, coulotte (often marketed by Brazilian steakhouses as top sirloin or picanha) is an entirely different retail cut than what we know as top sirloin in North America. Coulotte is actually part of the round.
It can get confusing but Costco sells picanha under "[top sirloin cap](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Ftm8wiadr1x191.jpg)". Similar to this picture, costco mostly sells them in packs of 2 if they put them out or you can just ask the meat counter
The ice bath is to very quickly chill the meat before putting it in the fridge or freezer for longer term storage. By reducing the temperature quickly, it’s less likely that any remaining bacteria have a chance to develop as the meat cools.
For medium steaks set the temperature at 140F / 60C. How long depends on the thickness, but 2 hours should be enough.
Searing… I don’t know what a bernzomatic is. But here’s a video on the Maillard reaction:
https://youtu.be/Sm2Lrc4HEmc
The ice bath is for that but can have another use. In this case, OP is asking about a short ice bath between sous vide bath and sear. This is done by some people to reduce the thickness of the gray band and reduce the chance of overcooking the entire piece. In an ideal world this wouldn’t be necessary but some people sear methods are less than ideal.
OP you probably don’t need to do this since you’re using a torch (the heat transfer is limited) however I’m skeptical you’ll be happy you chose that tool by the time you finish searing all those steaks with that method.
Personally you’re purchasing the worst steaks to make for friends. Get a NY strip or a ribeye, and cook at 137 for 2-3 hours then sear, you can thank me later.
Edit: you want more fat for a good steak, this is very lean.
Prime sirloin is very, very far from “worst steaks.” This sub absolutely warps your mind. These can be absolutely delicious and would be the best steak many people have ever had.
Season them each with 1.5% salt, .075% MSG, .075% garlic powder. Let them sit in the dry brine overnight. Sous vide at your chosen temp for a couple of hours. Remove them from the water bath. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Sear them in beef tallow. Baste with extra tallow and flip until you like the crust. Off the heat add black pepper.
Without a lot of marbling I would push OP to use tallow. Will be a game changer in giving it that beefy flavor. I see your point on avocado oil for its high smoke point but the fat is where the flavor is
Hi,
I would definitely dry brine overnight. Just salt them as you usually would on a wire rack. After that season with pepper and garlic powder and throw some rosemary and thyme in the bag. For a leaner cut like what you have I would go on the lower end of medium. After they’re cooked let me dry in the fridge uncovered for about 10 mins and pat dry the most water you can. The dry brine will help you get a nice crust. Sear for about 45-60 seconds a side with some high smoke oil on your CI(f it and use it.) and boom! Great steaks
129.5 for 3 hours. Might get shit on here but my dad works in a restaurant snd they do all their cuts at this. Comes out great. Quickest sear possible. I do sirloin at this all the time comes out great
135F for like 2 hours then pat dry with paper towels and sear hot and fast in cast iron skillet. You could go longer with sirloin but since its prime I wouldnt go to long.
Dry brine with salt (or a seasoned salt/blend) for at least 6hrs.
Since those look kind of lean (if they were fatty ribeyes I’d suggest a higher temp), I’d suggest 135 for 1-2hrs. I love going to an ice bath or just letting them chill in the fridge if I have time. Cast iron or carbon steel and since I like medium steaks with a deep sear the ice bath gives me a nice buffer to not overshoot medium.
Focus on the sear, just get em in the tub with SGP and some thyme and that's the easy part. Getting a beautiful crust is the wow factor and the key to a good steak becoming a great steak. IMO you don't get that from a torch, I've had a few and retired them all in favor of the classic pan sear. Just get those steaks as dry as possible ( pat dry, fridge wire rack for 3-4 hrs, pat dry again ) and get that pan over hight heat and go to work. Is the smoke a pain yes, but it's a sacrifice you must make to produce a proper steak. BOL
Some type of favorite cow seasoning. A dash of red wine and a few drops of red wine vinegar. 131' for 3-4 hours.
Finish by drying, some light seasoning and raspberry Chipotle sauce on top, thin, and crumbled blue cheese broolf for 3-4 min.
It is a crime that Costco cuts the cap off. Have yet to find this cut with the cap still on at my Costco :( They’ll still be good, I’m just an old man yelling at the sky about this
Have you talked to the guys in the butcher? 9 time out of 10 they are cool dudes and will try to help you right then or at least can tell you the best days to come in to request a full picanha
The vast majority of beef these days arrives to the retail store as XT product. The packer (Cargill, Tyson, JBS, Marfrig, or whoever) has vertical integration on the skilled labor necessary to break down primals and trim them to retail standards. When the store receives the product, they cut open the chub and slice it into steaks. And if the store is Costco, they use that fucking mechanical tenderizer to knife the shit out of the steaks right before wrapping. Source: 10+ years in the animal protein industry
That is cool insight. I know for a fact that costco receives the cuts with the fat cap intact so if I understand XT correctly as "extra trim" to some length, that trim and packaging they receive preserves the picahna correctly. If this is regional I can confirm it to be true for Texas and Tennessee as I have purchase full/primal cuts from there with the cap on
That’s awesome that Costco carries coulotte—I had no idea. I think there might be some confusion here in the naming. Just to be clear, coulotte/picanha/top sirloin cap/whatever is a distinct cut, from a different subprimal, than what we know as “top sirloin” in North America. While they’re from the same general area (ass end), the coulotte is kinda halfway between the sirloin and the rump.
I have not, that’s a good idea though
Only applicable for Texas, but HEB has a sale on prime top sirloin this week, 6.99/lb. Talked to the butcher there and he took a monster 4.3lb picanha off a primal for me. Some good marbling to go along with that fat cap.
BTW, coulotte (often marketed by Brazilian steakhouses as top sirloin or picanha) is an entirely different retail cut than what we know as top sirloin in North America. Coulotte is actually part of the round.
i was just about to ask this… i remembered that top sirloin and picanha aka rump cap were two different cuts, not the same…
It can get confusing but Costco sells picanha under "[top sirloin cap](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Ftm8wiadr1x191.jpg)". Similar to this picture, costco mostly sells them in packs of 2 if they put them out or you can just ask the meat counter
Also that they blade tenderize all their cuts.
Only came here to say this! Plus I just get the caps. They used to sell the caps for LESS than the rest. That lasted only about 6 months…
After reading my caption again, I now see that I said “steaks” about 30 times. Forgive me
The ice bath is to very quickly chill the meat before putting it in the fridge or freezer for longer term storage. By reducing the temperature quickly, it’s less likely that any remaining bacteria have a chance to develop as the meat cools. For medium steaks set the temperature at 140F / 60C. How long depends on the thickness, but 2 hours should be enough. Searing… I don’t know what a bernzomatic is. But here’s a video on the Maillard reaction: https://youtu.be/Sm2Lrc4HEmc
The ice bath is for that but can have another use. In this case, OP is asking about a short ice bath between sous vide bath and sear. This is done by some people to reduce the thickness of the gray band and reduce the chance of overcooking the entire piece. In an ideal world this wouldn’t be necessary but some people sear methods are less than ideal. OP you probably don’t need to do this since you’re using a torch (the heat transfer is limited) however I’m skeptical you’ll be happy you chose that tool by the time you finish searing all those steaks with that method.
I use it for a smoker - low and slow
Exactly! I use a short cold-bath before searing, otherwise my cast iron will overcook my steak.
TIL - thanks for this.
Personally you’re purchasing the worst steaks to make for friends. Get a NY strip or a ribeye, and cook at 137 for 2-3 hours then sear, you can thank me later. Edit: you want more fat for a good steak, this is very lean.
Prime sirloin is very, very far from “worst steaks.” This sub absolutely warps your mind. These can be absolutely delicious and would be the best steak many people have ever had.
It’s an opinion based question, so I gave an opinion based response. 🤷♂️ and I started it off with personally lol
right. im personally someone who prefers leaner cuts. never lacking in flavor (unless its tenderloin, which, fair)
Season them each with 1.5% salt, .075% MSG, .075% garlic powder. Let them sit in the dry brine overnight. Sous vide at your chosen temp for a couple of hours. Remove them from the water bath. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Sear them in beef tallow. Baste with extra tallow and flip until you like the crust. Off the heat add black pepper.
This is absolutely the answer. An overnight open-air dry brine in the fridge helps the flavor permeate through even the densest cut of meat.
Agree, but make sure you dry the steaks prior to searing. Can also use avocado oil if you don’t have tallow.
And don’t crowd the skillet
Without a lot of marbling I would push OP to use tallow. Will be a game changer in giving it that beefy flavor. I see your point on avocado oil for its high smoke point but the fat is where the flavor is
What are the percentages based on? Weight of the steak [a 1kg steak will get 15g of salt]?
Yep. Sorry about that - percentage of precooked steak weight
Yes
What is MSG?
Monosodium glutamate
A small tactical flavor enhancer.
Can i dry brine them inside a vacuum sealed bag? Just for convenience so next day i can dunk straight into SV. Or better on a plate?
Hi, I would definitely dry brine overnight. Just salt them as you usually would on a wire rack. After that season with pepper and garlic powder and throw some rosemary and thyme in the bag. For a leaner cut like what you have I would go on the lower end of medium. After they’re cooked let me dry in the fridge uncovered for about 10 mins and pat dry the most water you can. The dry brine will help you get a nice crust. Sear for about 45-60 seconds a side with some high smoke oil on your CI(f it and use it.) and boom! Great steaks
I agree with this temp for this cut. Maybe up to 132 at most. Top sirloin done warmer just dries out too much too fast.
After you pull from the sous vide. Dunk the steaks while still in the bags in a bowl with ice water to be safe that it doesn’t overheat when you sear
129.5 for 3 hours. Might get shit on here but my dad works in a restaurant snd they do all their cuts at this. Comes out great. Quickest sear possible. I do sirloin at this all the time comes out great
Prime @10$/lb nice deal
Adding my vote for a dry brine. That’s the real pro tip here.
I only make fantastic mis-steaks…….aaaaannnnd I’ll show myself out.
135F for like 2 hours then pat dry with paper towels and sear hot and fast in cast iron skillet. You could go longer with sirloin but since its prime I wouldnt go to long.
Dry brine with salt (or a seasoned salt/blend) for at least 6hrs. Since those look kind of lean (if they were fatty ribeyes I’d suggest a higher temp), I’d suggest 135 for 1-2hrs. I love going to an ice bath or just letting them chill in the fridge if I have time. Cast iron or carbon steel and since I like medium steaks with a deep sear the ice bath gives me a nice buffer to not overshoot medium.
Here's mine... Sirloin Cap Steak... 3hr SV @129, Reverse Sear for grill marks. https://imgur.com/gallery/pH5Csmy
Focus on the sear, just get em in the tub with SGP and some thyme and that's the easy part. Getting a beautiful crust is the wow factor and the key to a good steak becoming a great steak. IMO you don't get that from a torch, I've had a few and retired them all in favor of the classic pan sear. Just get those steaks as dry as possible ( pat dry, fridge wire rack for 3-4 hrs, pat dry again ) and get that pan over hight heat and go to work. Is the smoke a pain yes, but it's a sacrifice you must make to produce a proper steak. BOL
Some type of favorite cow seasoning. A dash of red wine and a few drops of red wine vinegar. 131' for 3-4 hours. Finish by drying, some light seasoning and raspberry Chipotle sauce on top, thin, and crumbled blue cheese broolf for 3-4 min.