Adam Liaw shares the secret to cooking one of the restaurant dishes of the year at home

Name: Adam Liaw shares the secret to cooking one of the restaurant dishes of the year at home
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6-8
Cuisine: Contemporary
Ingredients: 1 beef rump cap (picanha), about 1.5kg; salt and pepper, to season; about ¼ cup vegetable oil

There’s no hotter cut of beef in Australia right now than the rump cap, and Adam shares how to do it like a pro (with added bagna cauda and Asian chimichurri sauce).

Adam Liaw

October 23, 2023

Rump cap with bagna cauda (above) and Asian chimichurri (right).William Meppem

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6-8

There’s no hotter cut of beef in Australia these days than the rump cap. Known as picanha in Brazil, it’s from the top rear quarter of the cow between the sirloin and the topside, and is prized for its tender texture, meaty flavour and especially the thick cap of fat that runs across the top, which provides richness to every slice.

You might have seen it paraded around on huge skewers at Brazilian churrascarias, or sliced and grilled as shareable steaks on some of Australia’s hottest restaurant tables. If you want to try your hand at a rump cap at home, you have options – from slicing it into thick steaks and grilling it on the barbecue, to roasting it whole to a perfect medium-rare.

I’ve given you a few different ways to tackle it, and a couple of options for sauces to serve it with.

Ingredients

1 beef rump cap (picanha), about 1.5kg
salt and pepper, to season
about ¼ cup vegetable oil

Asian chimichurri

2 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane
2cm ginger, peeled and grated on a Microplane
6 thin spring onions, finely minced
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ tsp chilli flakes, or to taste
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ cup white vinegar
1 cup loosely packed parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 whole coriander plants (roots, stems and leaves), washed and finely chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar

Bagna cauda (Anchovy and garlic cream sauce)

40g anchovies
100ml olive oil
10 garlic cloves
100g butter
100ml milk
100ml thickened cream

Method

Cooking the steak

To cook the rump cap, you have a few options. First, score the fat cap in a cross-hatch pattern and from there you can:
Cook as steaks. Cut the rump cap into 5cm thick steaks and season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle the steaks all over with about ¼ cup of vegetable oil. Heat your barbecue hotplate, grill or frying pan over a medium heat until very hot. Sear the steaks on each side until well-browned and sear the fat cap to render some of the fat. Flip the steaks until they register an internal temperature of 50C, then remove from the heat and rest for about 10 minutes before slicing into thick slices.
Cook as skewers. Cut the rump cap into 5-6cm steaks and thread all the steaks onto a large metal skewer, each in a “C” shape, with the fat cap facing the same side. Season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle the steaks all over with about a ¼ cup of vegetable oil and grill the skewer until the steaks register an internal temperature of 50C, then remove from the heat and rest for about 10 minutes before slicing vertically along the skewer to produce slices of meat.
Cook as a whole roast. Heat your oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional). Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with about two tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat until hot and sear the rump cap all over. Place into the oven for about 30 minutes or until the rump cap registers an internal temperature of 50C, then remove from the heat and rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.

Asian chimichurri

Combine the garlic, ginger and spring onions in a heatproof mortar and pound lightly to combine. Heat the oil in a small saucepan until smoking and pour into the mortar. Stir in the chilli, turmeric and pepper and set aside for five minutes to cool. Stir in the vinegar, parsley, coriander, fish sauce, salt and sugar and set aside for at least one hour before using

Bagna cauda

Combine the anchovies and olive oil together in a small saucepan and place over a medium heat. Mash the anchovies into the oil and cook for about five minutes until the anchovies are fragrant. Pour the anchovy oil into a small heatproof bowl. Add the garlic, butter, milk and cream to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, until the garlic is softened and the liquid reduced. Return the anchovy oil to the saucepan and use a stick blender or high-speed blender to whizz the sauce to a very smooth but pourable puree.