Go Back
–+ servings
Three corn tortilla tacos filled with thinly sliced rotisserie picanha, sautéed onion, and roasted Hatch chile salsa on a metal platter

Rotisserie Picanha Tacos with Roasted Hatch Chile Salsa

A whole picanha sliced into thick steaks, folded into a C with the fat cap out and run on the rotisserie Brazilian style with nothing but salt. Pulled at 135°F, rested and sliced thin over oiled tortillas with sautéed onion and a roasted hatch chile salsa.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Rest Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12 tacos
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: BBQ, Brazilian, Mexican
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Rotisserie Picanha
  • 1 whole picanha About 4 lbs, sliced against the grain into steaks 1.5 to 2 inches thick.
  • Kosher salt To taste. The only seasoning.
Roasted Hatch Chile Salsa
  • 6 Hatch green chiles
  • 3 Roma tomatoes
  • 0.5 white onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 jalapeño Optional.
  • 0.5 cup fresh cilantro Added raw after blending, never roasted.
  • 1 lime juiced, to taste
  • Kosher salt To taste.
  • 1 tbsp avocado or vegetable oil 1 to 2 tbsp for roasting.
For the Tacos
  • Corn tortillas Lightly oiled and warmed.
  • 0.5 onion sautéed
  • Lime wedges Optional.

Equipment

  • Grill with rotisserie spit
  • Instant-Read Thermometer
  • Skillet For roasting the salsa vegetables and warming tortillas.
  • Blender or Food Processor For the salsa.
  • Sharp Slicing Knife For slicing the picanha as thin as possible.

Method
 

Prep and Cook the Picanha
  1. Slice the whole picanha against the grain into steaks about 1.5 to 2 inches thick. A 4 lb picanha gives you roughly four. Season generously with kosher salt on all sides.
  2. Fold each steak into a C shape with the fat cap facing outward and thread them onto the rotisserie spit. Secure tightly.
  3. Cook on the rotisserie until the internal temperature reaches 135°F for rare. Take it higher if you prefer. Remove and rest about 10 minutes, then slice as thin as possible or chop.
Roast the Salsa
  1. Roughly chop the Hatch chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapeño. Heat a skillet over high with a little oil and roast the vegetables until softened and charred.
  2. Transfer to a blender, add the fresh cilantro and blend to your preferred consistency. Season to taste with salt and lime juice. Do not roast the cilantro, it goes bitter.
Build the Tacos
  1. Sauté the half onion in a little oil over medium high until softened and lightly caramelized.
  2. Lightly coat each tortilla with oil and warm on both sides in a pan. This keeps them pliable and tastes better.
  3. Warm tortilla, thinly sliced picanha, sautéed onion, roasted hatch chile salsa. Lime over the top if you like.

Notes

Doneness: Miguel pulls picanha at 135°F, which keeps it rare. The USDA recommends 145°F for whole cuts of beef. Cook to where you are comfortable.
Bend into a C, fat cap out: Folding evens out the thick and thin ends so the whole steak gets equal time facing the heat. The fat cap on the outside renders as it spins and bastes the meat.
Salt only: Picanha with a good fat cap needs nothing else.
Roast everything but the cilantro: Charring softens the vegetables for blending and gives the salsa its flavor. Cilantro goes bitter with heat, so it goes in raw after.
Oil the tortillas: Keeps them pliable and improves the flavor.
Grill temperature: Miguel did not specify a rotisserie temperature. Cook by the 135°F internal target rather than a set grill temp.
Timing: Cook time and servings are estimates.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!