Picanha

Serves 6-8 Starters and mains

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Method

Get your grill going on a medium- hot heat. To make the rub, mix together 2tbsp sea salt, 1tbsp black pepper with the mustard powder and ground nutmeg in a small bowl. Score the fat on your beef and dry it with kitchen paper. Then rub in the spice mix, making sure you get it into all the score lines. Rub the beef all over, so the meat is evenly covered, but be careful not to rub too much or the spices will clump together. It should look like a nice thick dusting. Allow the rub some time to dry out the fat slightly, around 5-10 minutes. Fat is made up of a lot of water, so you want to lose some of that moisture so the fat can cook.

Place the joint fat-side down over direct heat – you are looking for a golden crust all over and nicely rendered fat. Keep an eye on it; you will get flare-ups as the fats break down. A couple of blasts are fine, but move the meat around so it gets an even rendering. Keep turning to sear the meat all over and build up a mustardy crust. Pay attention to the rump’s fat cap and be careful not to burn it.

Once you have a crust, but the inside is still raw, take it off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then slice the joint along the grain into 2.5cm steaks.

Sprinkle some salt on the steaks and grill them over direct heat. Once your steaks are cooked to your taste, remove them from the grill. To serve, slice across the grain and enjoy.