Picanha is the cut that Brazilians have been eating for decades while Americans walked past it in the butcher case. It comes from the top rump, cut with the fat cap left fully intact, and at $14.99 per package it is the best value steak we carry.
Where It Comes From
On the animal, picanha sits at the top of the rump, just above the sirloin. In American butchery it is often trimmed and sold as top sirloin cap or rump cap — the fat cap gets removed, the cut gets portioned down, and most of what makes it special disappears. Brazilian butchers leave the fat cap on and sell it whole. That fat cap is the point.
Why the Fat Cap Matters
The fat cap on a picanha is about a quarter inch thick and runs the full length of the cut. When cooked correctly — over high heat on a skewer, on a grill, or in a cast iron — that fat renders and bastes the meat from the outside. You get self-basting beef. The eating experience is rich, the exterior gets a crisped fat layer that is worth fighting over, and the meat underneath stays tender.
Trim the fat cap off a picanha and you have a decent cheap steak. Leave it on and cook it correctly and you have something that competes with cuts costing twice as much.
How to Cook It
Method 1: Cast iron, fat-side down first. Score the fat cap in a crosshatch pattern, season heavily with salt. Place fat-side down in a screaming hot cast iron. Let the fat render for 3 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes on the meat side. Finish in a 400°F oven to 130°F internal for medium rare. Rest 5 minutes before slicing against the grain.
Method 2: Reverse sear. Season, then low oven at 250°F until internal hits 115°F. Transfer immediately to a screaming hot cast iron, fat-side down for 2 minutes, meat-side for 90 seconds. Rest and slice.
Method 3: Skewer over fire. Fold the picanha into a C-shape with the fat cap on the outside and push a metal skewer through lengthwise. Grill over direct heat, rotating, until the fat is well-rendered and the internal temperature hits 130°F. This is the churrascaria method and it is worth doing if you have an outdoor grill.
Slicing
Slice against the grain in 3/4-inch cuts. The grain on picanha runs perpendicular to the length of the cut — look at the muscle fibers and cut across them. Slicing with the grain produces chewy, stringy beef. Against the grain produces clean, short-fibered bites.
Pick up a package in our Steaks collection. At $14.99 it is the easiest purchase decision in the lineup.