• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Mexican Food Journal logo
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About The Journal
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Beef / Grilled Sirloin Cap Roast (Picaña)

    Grilled Sirloin Cap Roast (Picaña)

    Douglas Cullen, This blog generates income via ads and affiliate links which earn us a small commission.

    Mexican Sirloin Roast (Picana) with Baked Potato

    Picaña de Res a las Brasas

    Salt encrusted sirloin cap roast grilled directly on hot coals. Sometimes the simplest dish is the best. If you love carne asada, you’ll love this dish too.

    Sliced Grilled Sirloin Cap Roast with Baked Potato

    To cook, you wrap a sirloin cap roast, called picaña in Mexico, with salt soaked kitchen towels and grill it directly on hot coals. It’s real campfire cooking.

    The result is a tender, smoky, slightly salty, beefy flavored piece of meat that needs nothing else but a simple charcoal-grilled baked potato on the side. Wash it down with an ice-cold Mexican beer for a perfect meal.

    Mexican Sirloin Roast (Picana) with Baked Potato

    The sirloin cap is a cut that comes from just under the beef tenderloin. In Brazil, it’s called picanha and one of the most popular cuts used to make Brazilian BBQ.

    Ask for it at the butcher counter and be sure to buy it with the fat on which ensures the meat remains juicy, tender, and full of flavor.

    Light the Charcoal First

    Before preparing the meat you need to start the fire to get the coals just right.

    Lighting Charcoal Briquets

    Once the flames have died down and the charcoal briquets are turning white they are ready to cook the meat. Spread them out to make a bed on which to place the meat.

    Glowing Charcoal Briquets

    Prepping the Sirloin Cap

    After you have lit the charcoal and it’s getting to just the right point start prepping the meat.

    Gather your ingredients:

    • 4 lb. sirloin cap roast with fat
    • 1 cup sea salt
    • 1 bottle dark beer (Dark beer adds more flavor.)
    • 3 or 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
    • 2 cotton kitchen towels that you don’t mind parting with. They get bunt up during cooking
    • Kitchen twine 
    Ingredients to Prepare Grilled Sirloin Cap Roast

    On a baking pan, spread out one of the kitchen towels and pour ½ of the bottle of beer in the middle of the towel.

    Soaking Kitchen Towel with Beer

    Sprinkle half of the salt evenly over the towel. A thin paste will start to form.

    Kitchen Towel with Beer Salt Paste

    Place the sirloin cap in the middle of the towel.

    Sirloin Cap on Salt Encrusted Towel

    Top the meat with the rosemary sprigs.

    Uncooked Sirloin Cap with Rosemary

    On the second kitchen, towel pour the remaining half bottle of beer and salt. Cover the meat with the towel.

    Sirloin Cap Covered with Salt Encrusted Kitchen Towels

    Wrap the meat tightly with the kitchen towels the tie firmly.

    Sirloin Cap Wrapped and Tied in Kitchen Towels

    Place the wrapped meat directly on the hot coals and cook for 20 minutes.

    Wrapped Sirloin Cap on Hot Coals

    After 20 minutes, turn the meat over and cook for another 20 minutes.

    Charred Sirloin Cap Roast on Hot Coals

    Remove the meat from the coals and let it rest for 10 minutes before unwrapping. Unwrapping the meat is very showy.

    Unwrapping Whole Charcoal Grilled Sirloin Cap

    Serving 

    Cut the meat in ½″ slices.

    Sliced Sirloin Cap Roast on Cutting Board

    Serve 2 or 3 slices with a charcoal-grilled baked potato topped with butter and shredded asadero cheese. Try it the next time you have friends and family over.

    They’ll love the flavor and they’ll love watching it be prepared. Cutting the meat out of the burnt towels is a unique presentation.

    Grilled Sirloin Cap (Picaña de Res) Served with Baked Potato

    Mexico has so many great beef dishes. This is one to add to your recipe book.

    Mexican Grilled Beef on Platter

    You can make tacos with the meat too. Just grill up some corn tortillas and top with a great salsa like this fresh tomatillo salsa verde.

    Provecho!

    Sliced Grilled Sirloin Cap Roast with Baked Potato
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Sirloin Cap Roast

    Sirloin cap roast recipe prepared by wrapping the meat with beer soaked, salt encrusted kitchen towels and then slow cooking directly on hot charcoal. Simple campfire cooking with great presentation.
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Mexican
    Keyword beef, grilled, roast, sirloin
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 40 minutes minutes
    Servings 8
    Calories 325kcal
    Author Douglas Cullen

    Ingredients

    • 4 lbs sirloin cap roast
    • 1 cup sea salt
    • 1 bottle dark beer
    • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tbsp. dried
    • 2 cotton kitchen towels
    • 10 feet kitchen twine

    Instructions

    Prepping the Charcoal

    • Before preparing the meat you need to start the fire to get the coals just right.
    • Once the flames have died down and the charcoal briquets are turning white they are ready to cook the meat. Spread them out to make a bed on which to place the meat.

    Prepping the Meat

    • On a baking pan, spread out one of the kitchen towel and pour ½ of the bottle of beer in the middle of the towel.
    • Sprinkle half of the salt evenly over the towel. A thin paste will start to form.
    • Place the sirloin cap in the middle of the towel and top with the rosemary sprigs.
    • On the second kitchen, towel pour the remaining half bottle of beer and salt. Cover the meat.
    • Wrap the meat tightly with the kitchen towels the tie firmly.

    Cooking the Meat

    • Place the wrapped meat directly on the hot coals and cook for 20 minutes.
    • After 20 minutes, turn the meat over and cook for another 20 minutes.
    • Remove the meat from the coals and let it rest for 10 minutes before unwrapping.

    Serving

    • Cut the meat in ½" slices.
    • Serve with a charcoal grilled baked potato.

    Notes

    Kitchen Towels
    • The kitchen towels are no longer useable after cooking. Don’t use your favorite ones.
    Buying the Meat
    • Buy the sirloin cap with the fat on which ensures the meat remains juicy, tender, and full of flavor.
    Other Names for Sirloin Cap
    • Coulotte Roast
    • Top Sirloin Cap
    • Rump Cap
    • Picaña de Res (Mexico)
    • Picanha (Brazil)

    Nutrition

    Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 14278mg | Potassium: 787mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 3.8mg

    More Mexican Beef Dishes

    • Picadillo
    • Ribeye Tacos with Habanero Salsa
    • Pan-fried Meatballs
    • Arrachera Tacos
    • Shredded Beef Tacos

    More Beef

    • Beef Birria Wrapped in Tetelas
      Birria with Consomé
    • Mexican Meatballs
      Albondigas Mexicanas
    • Rib Eye Taco with Red Onion Habanero Salsa on Corn Tortilla
      Ribeye Tacos with Habanero Salsa
    • Mexican Pan Fried Meatballs
      Pan-Fried Meatballs

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Q says

      May 12, 2021 at 2:05 pm

      Crazy recipe no Mexican household would use a towel like this.

      I personally would not recommend the use of a kitchen towel essentially because of fiber content. Many kitchen towels will not be 100% cotton even labelled as such, many towels are now made of recovered fabric if on lower price point which is ragged clothing and you can have synthetics mixed in although list all natural.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    D. Cullen Profile Picture

    Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

    More about me →


    Most Popular Recipes

    • Classic Salsa Verde
    • Bowl of Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa
      Restaurant Style Salsa
    • Bowl of Traditional Mexican Sopa de Fideo
      Traditional Sopa de Fideo
    • Bowl of Authentic Red Pozole
      Red Pork Pozole
    • Bowl of Chicken Tinga
      Chicken Tinga
    • Agua de Jamaica
    • Tres Leches Cake with Berries
      Tres Leches Cake
    • Beet Salad Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
      Beet Salad with Feta Cheese and Citrus Balsamic Viniagrette
    • Cheese Enchiladas with Red Enchilada Sauce
      Red Enchilada Sauce
    • Authentic Mole Poblano
      Mole Poblano

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Mexico Publishing LLC