The hump of the Zebu cattle is collagen-rich and richly marbled — closer to brisket than chuck. Smoked low and slow until tender, sliced and served with farofa and chimichurri at a churrasco.
Serves 8 to 10Prep 30 minCook 8 hr
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Ingredients
- 1 whole cupim, 3 to 4 kg, fat cap intact
- 3 tablespoons coarse rock salt
- 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Hardwood chunks (oak, hickory, or eucalyptus)
- Farofa and chimichurri, to serve
Method
- 1Pat the cupim completely dry. Score the fat cap in a 2 cm crosshatch pattern, cutting just into but not through the fat.
- 2Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Rub all over the cupim, working into the scored fat. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
- 3Set up a smoker for indirect cooking at 110 °C (225 °F). Add hardwood for clean blue smoke.
- 4Place the cupim fat-side up. Smoke undisturbed for the first 4 hours.
- 5After 4 hours, spritz with apple juice or beer every hour. Continue until the internal temperature in the thickest part reads 96 °C (205 °F) and a probe slides in like room-temperature butter — typically 7 to 9 hours total.
- 6Remove from the smoker, wrap in butcher paper or foil, and rest in a warm cooler for 1 hour minimum.
- 7Slice across the grain into 1 cm slices. Pile onto a wooden board with a mound of farofa and a bowl of chimichurri.
Chef's tip
Cupim has more fat than brisket but very different muscle structure — don't fight it by removing fat before cooking. The cap is what bastes the meat for the entire cook.