Rump cap is arguably the best cut for roast beef – prime rib quality without the price tag! But cook it wrong and it’s a chewy disaster. This recipe uses the reverse-sear method which is straightforward, safe and guarantees edge-to-edge pink perfection and a golden, crackly fat cap. Roast beef bliss!
Bonus: two new steak sauce obsessions!
Rump Cap Roast
I really think rump cap – also known as picanha, sirloin cap and coulette – is the best value, big-flavour roasting cuts you can buy. It’s a signature cut used in Brazilian churrasco, and is loved for delivering prime rib-style juiciness and big beefy flavour without the premium price.
Rump cap became all the rage a few years ago when it was popularised on social media, but chefs have always known how brilliant it is. In fact, this is the cut my RTM head chef Stephen used for roast beef when he worked at The Masham in Hartburn Village back in England – and honestly, the Brits know their Sunday roasts!
What I tell people is this: if you want maximum flavour for your money, this is the beef roast to make. You’ll also love how straightforward and low-risk this is to make – and the sauce options!!!
Golden crackly fat cap
An unusual feature of this rump cap worth pointing out is the beautiful golden fat cap! So golden, it almost looks like pork crackling, 🙂
To do this, I just score the fat, rub with lots of salt and pop it very briefly under the oven grill broiler (just 3 minutes) – so much easier than pan frying. I know it’s not “normal” for a rump cap roast to look like this, but I personally love it. And also, it makes the fat cap nicer to eat (if you choose to) – more fat renders out so the fat cap layer is not as thick, plus the fat cap gets all melty when it goes under the grill rather than being a waxy solidified thick layer of white fat.
What you need for Beef Rump Cap Roast (Picanha)
All you need to roast beef rump cap is salt and pepper. No oil – the fat cap provides plenty, and we roast at a low temperature so the fat melts and bastes the meat.
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Rump cap – commonly known as picanha in the States and South America – is a triangular cut from the top of the rump with a thick fat cap. Also called sirloin cap or coulotte, it can be sliced into steaks or roasted whole.
It’s considered a secondary cut, but that’s technical butchery talk! To me, there is nothing secondary about it as when it is cooked to medium rare, it’s tender, juicy and full of beefy flavour. It hits the sweet spot between scotch fillet / ribeye, which can be a bit too fatty, and tenderloin, which is tender but lacks beefy flavour. Rump cap is the perfect balance!
Silverskin – If your rump cap still has silver skin on it (the see-through skin on the underside that looks “silver”), cut it off as this can become tough. See diagram below with the silver skin area marked (be aware of sneaky silver skin hiding under fat!).
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Salt flakes – It’s unusual for me to insist on using flakes for anything other than finishing, because it’s more expensive. But here I am – and there’s a reason for it! Salt flakes rather than grains work best here on the fat cap as it makes it a little crispy like pork crackling. The paper thin flakes sit on the surface and give better coverage than fine grains without making the roast too salty, and it is the salt that melts and becomes crisp. (Spoiler: despite what you might see on social media, beef fat doesn’t go crispy 🙂 ).
If you don’t have flakes, that’s fine though, it’s not the end of the world for the fat cap not to be crispy because it’s not like it crackles like pork belly. You need skin for that, and we don’t have that with rump cap! 🙂
Sauces for Beef Rump Cap (Picanha)
So many options! The two sauces shown in the photos and videos are new ones I created especially for today’s beef rump cap:
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Butter Chimichurri – a butter enriched version of Chimichurri sauce (literally, one of the world’s best steak sauces!). It’s richer and uses more garlic which is sautéed until golden. Recipe here.
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Roasted Garlic Butter – here courtesy of Goh (RecipeTin tech brain!), and my current obsession! And umami-loaded spread with deep roasted garlic sweetness, saltiness from parmesan and a “can’t taste it” depth of flavour you can only get from anchovy, though it’s not the end of the world if you skip it. 🙂 This butter makes everything taste ridiculously good, and you will use it on “everything” (bread, chicken, steamed vegetables). Recipe here.
In addition, here are other sauces that go brilliantly with roast beef. I’ve marked a few of my favourites!
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Béarnaise Sauce – this French sauce is a classic, considered to be one of the world’s finest steak sauces. A staple at high end restaurants and steak houses, but did you know you can make it in 1 minute flat using a stick blender?! Pro tip: keep it warm in a thermos. This sauce does not reheat!
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Cafe de Paris – A punchy, herb-spiced French bistro butter sauce with garlic, mustard, anchovy and curry warmth that melts into pure steak magic. I always have a log of this in the freezer!
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Cowboy Butter – Originally created for the mighty Tomahawk Steak, this zesty, chilli-lemon-garlic butter is bold, smoky and a heavenly match with beef in all forms.
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Creamy Mushroom Sauce – A velvety, garlic-mushroom sauce with a rich, savoury depth that clings beautifully to roast beef slices. Makes plenty so you can drown everything on your plate with it and mop it up with bread!
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Blue Cheese Sauce – Find my signature blue cheese sauce recipe in Dinner (page 330). It’s a stunner. I have to consciously avoid making it to often because I’m hopelessly addicted to it! It’s not just for steaks, I pour it over “everything” and serve it as a dipping sauce. (Note: it’s a cut above the blue cheese dipping sauce for Buffalo Wings which is much more simple).
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Red wine sauce – a rich, elegant sauce that is a favourite of high end restaurants that pairs perfectly with beef. It must be made with homemade beef stock – store-bought doesn’t have the gelatine needed for body and becomes far too salty as it’s reduced by 90%. Recipe on page 327 of Dinner!
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Simple store-bought options – Dijon mustard and horseradish cream are classics. Get good ones!
Why not gravy? Because making a really great tasting gravy for roasts relies on drippings in the roasting pan or fond from pan searing the beef in a pan, neither of which we have in this recipe. I do have a from-scratch gravy recipe, but I just feel a great roast like this deserves a really great sauce so I’d rather make the others listed above. 🙂
PLEASE: Meat thermometer is a must for rump cap!
It’s really important to have a meat thermometer to cook rump cap because if you accidentally take it beyond medium rare, the meat starts to venture into unpleasant-chewy territory. Pricier roasting cuts are more forgiving as they have characteristics to cushion that mistake – prime rib/standing rib roast has far more intramuscular fat and beef tenderloin has natural tenderness.
An oven-safe meat thermometer is handy – stick it in the beef and set a temperature alarm – but if you don’t have one, just start checking at the 1 hour mark using a regular meat thermometer (I have a Thermapen, previous to this I had a $5 Kmart one for over a decade). If there’s one thing I learned from roasting eight Picanha’s in the past week, it’s that the roasting time is never the same from piece to piece, even if they are exactly the same weight and size!
How to roast a rump cap (picanha)
This is one of those recipes that’s simple to make but I have a lot of why information to impart! So here’s a summary – or you can just skip to the recipe:
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Slow-roast for 70 – 90 minutes at 140°C/285°F (120°C fan-forced) until the internal temperature is 48°C / 118°F.
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Rest for 30 minutes, during which time the internal temperature will rise to 56°C / 132.8°F which is perfect medium rare.
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Oven grill/broil for 3 minutes to make the fat cap crackly and golden. Slice and serve!
And here are the instructions in full.
how i roast rump cap – the why!
Using a moderately low temperature means you get even doneness from edge to edge rather than a thick band of grey, dry meat. Plus, the window for error is much longer, ie. it takes longer for the beef to accidentally tip over from perfect target temperature to overcooked in case you miss the timer going off or something similar. Things do happen!
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Pat the surface of the rump cap dry with paper towels. This is especially important if you purchased yours vac-packed because the meat sits in its own juices (sometimes for weeks!), and moisture-soaked fat cap and meat will not brown as well as it could. Colour = flavour!
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Score the fat cap into 2.5cm / 1″ diamonds using a sharp knife. Cut well into the fat, not just the surface, but avoid cutting into the meat. However, if you do, it’s ok. We’re not making crackling like pork belly here where you need to be super careful to not even prick the meat in order to get great crackling, because, fun fact: fat doesn’t crackle like skin! The fat will get golden and a bit crispy because of the salt layer, not the fat itself.
💡Why score the fat? It’s an unusual step!
I know it’s not a typical step for rump cap roasting but I do it for a few reasons:
a) Fat renders so much better (ie melts) which bastes the meat, and this is one of the things that makes rump cap so special. Beef basted with beef fat trumps rubbing with boring old oil any day of the week!!
b) More rendered fat = thinner fat cap = more pleasant to eat that a super thick layer.
c) The fat cap tightens as it roasts which causes the meat to contract. Scoring lets the meat stay relaxed, and the flesh ends up more tender, and it also roasts faster (it takes about 50% longer if you don’t score).
d) Scoring makes the cap go lovely and golden which looks nice!
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Salt rub – Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the salt flakes and half the pepper on the flesh (undersides and sides). Then flip and rub the remaining 3 teaspoons of salt and remaining pepper all over the fat cap. Rub well – the fine, thin salt flakes melt and become the crackly surface on the fat cap! (As noted above, fat does not crisp). No need to get the salt into the crevices you scored (it’s a bit too hard anyway, I find).
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Meat thermometer – If you have an oven-safe meat thermometer, insert it so the tip is in the middle of the thickest part of the rump cap. Set the internal temperature alarm to 48°C / 118°F.
Don’t have an oven-safe thermometer? No worries, just start checking at the one hour mark using a regular meat thermometer.
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Slow roast – Put the rump cap on a rack set on a tray. Roast at 140°C/285°F (120°C fan) for 70 to 90 minutes until the internal temperature is 48°C / 118°F. This is the “pull temperature” (as in pull the meat from the oven), below medium rare. The temperature will rise to medium rare as it rests (next step).
💡The roasting time varies from piece to piece, even if the weight and shape is exactly the same. Different fat cap thickness, connective tissue and grain tightness variations can affect the speed of cooking. So it means using a thermometer is critical!
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Rest 30 minutes – Leave the rump cap on the rack, uncovered, for 30 minutes so the meat can re-absorb its juices rather than running out onto the cutting board when you start slicing, so it’s juicier to eat.
The internal temp will rise to about 56°C / 132.8°F, perfect medium rare for this cut. Don’t worry if it creeps higher – even at 61°C / 141.8°F (which is medium) it is still pink and juicy. It only turns sad when it goes fully brown-grey with no pink left which is what happens if you land beyond this in the medium-well and well done territory (65°C/149°F+).
TIP: The beef stays warm enough for serving for up to 1 hour, even 75 minutes, though towards the end the exterior gets a little cooler than ideal for serving. This is easily fixed by popping it in a very low oven (50°C/125°F) for 15 minutes, then popping it under the grill to make the fat cap golden (see next step).
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Golden fat cap – Just before serving, we’re going to make the fat cap golden as well as warming the fat cap so it becomes melty, glossy and irresistible again, reversing that unappetising white, waxy look it gets as it cools.
Just pop the rump cap under a very hot oven grill/broiler for just 3 – 3 1/2 minutes (yes that’s all it takes!) until it becomes golden. Position the shelf so the highest point of the fat cap is 5 – 7cm / 2-3″ from the heat source, and if needed, rotate the pan to make it evenly golden.
Don’t go too long – it would be so sad to overcook the beef at this stage! 😩 Now it’s ready to serve – the meat is rested and ready to go!
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Slice THINLY! Unless you’ve got a premium wagyu rump cap which is extra succulent, the meat is best sliced fairly thinly like you would a regular roast beef, around 0.8 cm (1/3″ thick) else it can be a little chewy. Rump cap is not a beef roast intended for serving large thick slices, like you can prime rib and tenderloin. As Chef Stephen says, he learnt very quickly when his mates came into his restaurant to serve them more thin slices rather than thicker slices!
Keeps warm for over an hour!
A convenient feature of rump cap is that it can stay on the counter for an hour and the inside will still be warm enough to serve, so you can use the oven during this time to make sides in the ovens – like roast potatoes and roast carrots.
While the inside stays warm, the fat cap will get cold, hard and white during the resting time which is not very pleasant to eat. And that’s why I do the 3 minute oven grill just prior to serving.
Serve with sauces of choice (see ingredients section above for lots of options). As mentioned earlier, pictured throughout this post are the two new steak sauces created especially for today’s rump cap: Butter Chimichurri and Roasted Garlic Parmesan Butter. I am obsessed with both, and opinions were split right down the middle over which one was better. Just make both, they’re so easy!! 🙂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Beef Rump Cap Roast (Picanha)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes
Resting: 30 minutes
Mains
Western
Servings8
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Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
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Score fat (cut right in), rub meat with 2 tsp salt, and 3 tsp on fat cap. Roast on rack at 140°C/285°F (120°C fan) until the internal temperature is 48°C / 118°F (~70 minutes – 1 1/2 hrs). Rest 30 minutes, brown fat cap quickly under very hot oven grill/broiler (3 min max). Serve immediately!
FULL RECIPE:
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Preheat the oven to 140°C/285°F (120°C fan-forced).
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Dry – Pat excess moisture off the surface of the rump cap with paper towels.
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Score the fat cap with 2.5cm / 1″ diamonds – cut well into the fat but don’t cut into the meat. (But not a disaster if you do, unlike pork crackling!)
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Rub salt – Rub the meat surface with 2 teaspoons of the salt and half the pepper (ie underside and sides). Then rub the remaining 3 teaspoons of salt and pepper into the fat cap.
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Meat thermometer – Place the beef on a rack set on a tray. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the middle of the thickest part of the beef, if using.
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Slow-roast – Roast until the internal temperature is 48°C / 118°F, between 70 to 90 minutes (it varies! Note 3)
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Rest – Remove from the oven and leave on the counter for 30 – 40 minutes to rest (do not cover). The internal temperature will climb to 56°C / 132.8°F which is perfect medium rare. (Note 4 for other doneness)
Brown fat cap:
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Preheat – Halfway through the resting time, preheat the oven grill / broiler as high as it will go. Arrange the shelf so the surface of the fat cap will be 12cm / 5″ from the heat element.
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Brown – Grill rump cap for 2 – 3 minutes until the fat cap is golden and a bit crisp. Keep a close eye on it, it can burn quickly, and remove after 3 minutes even if not golden enough else you risk a band of overcooked beef.
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Ready! The beef is ready to serve – there is no need to rest again.
Slicing to serve:
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Cut the beef thinly into 8mm / 1/3″ slices and serve with sauce of choice (you can go up to 1.25cm / 1/2″ if you have wagyu). Don’t be tempted to cut thick slices, this beef cut is not suitable for that! (Note 5 about grain direction)
Recipe Notes:
Size – This recipe will work for any size, just target the specified pull temperature (ie. the temperature to pull the meat out) to take it out of the oven. If your meat is larger than 2.5kg/5lb (do they come that big??!) increase the salt a bit.
Wagyu rump cap – worth it, if you want to impress. It is noticeably juicier and more tender than non-wagyu.
Other names – sirloin cap or coulotte. Silverskin – Sometimes butchers remove, sometimes they don’t. It’s a very thin, silver-coloured skin on the meat side that can get tough when cooked, so best to remove it. Slide a small sharp knife underneath then slice off (see video and photo in post for what silver skin looks like).
2. Salt flakes work best here on the fat cap, it makes it a little crispy because the larger flakes sit on the surface and give better coverage than fine grains without making the roast too salty.
3. Roasting time can vary even when the rump cap weights are exactly the same with the same starting internal temperature! Different fat cap thickness, connective tissue and grain tightness variations can affect the speed of cooking so for this recipe, it means using a thermometer is critical for this recipe because rump cap is not very nice if you overcook it so it’s not pink at all. Typically the roasting time is around 70 – 90 minutes, but it has been as short as 65 minutes.
Wagyu typically cooks faster than non-wagyu rump cap so start checking early.
4. Rump cap target internal temperature after resting is 56°C / 133°F which is medium rare. However, I find it’s great anywhere between 53°C to 61°C, the meat is pink and succulent and eats like medium rare, so don’t fret if yours doesn’t hit the exact temps I specify.
Be sure to take the beef out of the oven at the Pull Temperature as it will rise to the target temp during the resting time!
| Doneness | Pull Temp out of oven |
Target Temp after rest |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 46°C/115°F | 53°C/127.4°F |
| Medium rare (recommended) | 48°C / 118°F | 56°C / 133°F |
| Medium | 51°C/124°F | 60°C / 140°F |
| Medium well* | Not recommended | |
| Well done* | Never! |
* Rump cap is not marbled with fat like prime rib so it is not as forgiving if overcooked. If you do accidentally overcook it and there’s no blush of pink at all, salvage by serving it very finely sliced (like, deli cold cut) with lots of sauce.
5. Slicing and grain direction of rump cap
The grain runs parallel to the cut face of the rump cap. To serve thin slices like you do regular roast beef, slice thinly in the direction of the grain.
The beef is actually a bit more tender if you slice 90° against the grain, but the shape of the slices is a little odd. And if you’re slicing thinly, the difference isn’t that noticeable with freshly cooked rump cap. However, if you want to serve thicker slices (~1.5cm/0.6″) I recommend slicing against the grain.
Leftovers keeps for 4 days in the fridge, keep the roast whole. Don’t try to reheat (I have tried every which way, even sous vide, and it just never comes back the same and too much pink meat turns grey), instead, slice very thinly (deli cold cut thins) against the grain and make the best roast beef sandwiches of your life (especially if you’ve got Roasted Garlic Butter left!).
Nutrition per serving assuming 8 servings, meat only, no sauce, includes the fat cap. The meat is sliced thinly so less goes further!
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 310cal (16%)Carbohydrates: 0.1gProtein: 55g (110%)Fat: 8g (12%)Saturated Fat: 3g (19%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 153mg (51%)Sodium: 1596mg (69%)Potassium: 967mg (28%)Fiber: 0.03gSugar: 0.001gVitamin A: 1IUCalcium: 14mg (1%)Iron: 6mg (33%)
Life of Dozer
The new extension part of Dozer’s forever home was finished just in the nick of time for a very special guest last week, so Dozer had to get dolled up!! Here he is getting his curls tamed by Kirsty, the H&M wizard who took care of team RecipeTin on the day!
Oh! This was the special guest – JOH GRIGGS from Better Homes & Gardens!! She came for a “first look” episode of my new kitchen, though actually it ended up being a reveal of much more than just the kitchen!!
Truthfully though. Mr Dozer went out too hard at the beginning of the day and spent most of the shoot sleeping under the table, completely oblivious that it was laden with food. Here we are mid-shoot enjoying a Christmas lunch!
I had a proud dog-mum moment though when he emerged and became persistently annoying when the cheese platter appeared. Well, you know what they say – like owner, like dog! 🥰
The house-reveal episode of Better Homes & Gardens airs this Friday on channel 7! We also visit RecipeTin Meals to see some holiday meal packing and show how to make some fabulous prepare-ahead canapés for the upcoming holiday season.
