The picanha steak is the highlight of every Brazilian barbecue. Discover everything you need to know about one of South America’s finest meats and learn how to grill it with our recipe.
Today I reveal one of South America’s best kept secrets: the picanha steak.
The piece of meat is the highlight of every churrasco(Brazilian barbecue). If you have never tried it, you will probably immediately visit your next Brazilian restaurant.
It’s known as picanha in Brazil and other parts of Latin America , but you may know it as tapa de sirloin, tapa de rump, or tapa de rump. Whatever you call it, you’ll need it at your next barbecue.
What cut of meat is picanha?
The picanha is a triangular piece of meat that sits on the cow’s rump. It comes with a layer of fat on top that creates a nice tender and juicy flavor when cooked.
Beef from the rump of the cow is popular in Brazil, and it’s easy to see why. It has a sirloin-like texture and taste, and is full of juicy, tender flavor.
Picanha comes from a piece of meat sitting on the rump of the cow. It comes with a fat cap that can add more flavor. The good news for those who don’t want the fat is that this layer can be easily removed. However, some South American countries maintain the fat limit to carry it more flavor. It’s your call.
Despite this layer of fat, the meat itself doesn’t contain much meat, so keeping it juicy and tender is a challenge. Cook it well and get the incredibly tasty pieces of meat.
Picanha vs Tri-Tip: What’s the Difference?
Picanha and Beef Tri-Tip are two different cuts of meat that come from different areas and are originally from the cow. This means that both the Picanha and the Tri-Tip have different flavors, textures, and uses. They are not interchangeable(despite what you may have heard!).
These two cuts of veal are often confused, in part because of the cap of fat and its proximity to the sirloin. Picanha actually has a smaller layer of fat than the Tri-Tip, so if you’re trying to get some of this, make sure you understand the difference yourself.
Picanha comes from the top of the croup and forms part of the ground curve. The tailbone contains a large amount of fat, and because it is not a well-trained muscle, it contains a lot of fat. This makes it wonderfully tender.
Tri-tip comes from the tip of the lower loin, which is part of the primary loin. It doesn’t contain a lot of fat, which means it packs a rich meat flavor.
Where can you buy picanas?
Outside of South America, the picanha is known as tapa de sirloin or tapa de rump. However, many butchers in North America or Europe tend to subdivide this cut into other types of cuts such as loin, rump or round. They also tend to omit the iconic fat cap that sits on top of the meat. This can make the purchase difficult, but not impossible.
If you can find a local specialty butcher that offers a full animal breakdown, you can order picanha there. You might have to phrase it as “top sirloin steak with the fat top,” but you can get the hang of it!
If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on some, aim for a weight between 2 and 3 pounds. I would be suspicious of anything larger, probably other cuts of meat as well.
Meat preparation
With the grilled picanha, we stick to the fat limit. The 30 minutes it spends on the grill is necessary to allow for plastering without becoming rubbery. So we have a lot of the natural flavor that we want in the meat.
Just use salt and ground black pepper to flavor the meat. The meat is so rich in natural flavor that anything else will overwhelm it. No marinades, no rubbing. Just salt and black pepper.
How to grill picana
My full recipe is below, but a whole picanha needs to be seared fat-side down for 3-4 minutes.
Then cut it into thin strips against the grain and grill them like a normal steak. You must die with the fat that is still in the flesh.
Don’t bother making picanha in your smoker. The fat cap is not processed like the breast. It takes on a gummy consistency that spreads out the longer it’s exposed to high heat in the smoker. Make sure you keep it on the grill over hot coals. If you decide to fry it, just about completely cover the fat.
Do not use artificial briquettes or lighters in your grill. Only use lump charcoal. The briquettes contaminate the meat and ruin its flavor and aroma.
An important step is scoring the layer of fat on the picanha. This will keep the meat from warping as the fat shrinks. In addition, fat and liquid can escape through the meat during cooking.
One of the best things about picanha and Brazilian barbecue is that it’s all about the taste of the meat. This means you don’t have to marinate it or season it other than salt and pepper. As with Texas grilling, we only want the meat’s natural flavors and juices.
Sprinkle some rock or coarse salt on top before grilling and you’re good to go. This will help keep the juice and nothing else.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
