Known for its tenderness and flavorful fat cap, picanha is a must-try for grilling enthusiasts. This guide covers everything from choosing the perfect cut to grilling it to perfection, ensuring a delicious and authentic Brazilian barbecue experience.
What is Picanha?
In American butcher-lingo, picanha is often called the “rump cap.” It is a triangular cut from the top of the rump region of the cow, and just like our rumps, it has a beautiful layer of fat. This cut remains tender because it is not a muscle that moves much during the animal’s life. The picanha’s blanket of fat lends the meat flavor and juiciness while protecting it during grilling. Because it is still little known in North America and Europe, picanha is a relatively cheap and plentiful national secret.
A Brief History of Picanha
When one thinks of churrasco, picanha often comes to mind. However, it is a relative newcomer to the tradition, only becoming popular in the 1960s when Hungarian butchers in São Paulo introduced it. They served it to immigrant workers at the Volkswagen plant who were looking to make tafelspitz. Once Brazilians discovered it, they naturally decided to grill it. By the 1970s, picanha became a sensation and the star of churrascarias, symbolizing “authentic” churrasco.
How to Grill Picanha: Tips and Techniques
Pronunciation
The best way to pronounce picanha is: pee-con-ya, with the emphasis on the “con.”
Choosing Your Picanha
- Aging: Choose an aged picanha if possible. Wet-aged cuts in vacuum packs are common in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. In Spanish the picanha is called tapa de quadril.
- Weight: The ideal weight for a whole picanha is between 1.3kg and 1.5kg (2lb 13oz – 3lb 4oz). Anything larger likely includes a tougher part of the outer-thigh region. The wide end of the picanha is the thickest and the toughest part. The tip is heaven.
Preparing the Grill
- Charcoal: Use organic charcoal, which still looks like it came from a tree. Most Brazilians use reforested, eucalyptus charcoal lit with a couple of wads of newspaper and a good douse of clean-burning, sugar-cane alcohol. We don’t use briquettes or lighter fluid here.
- Wood Fire: If you feel like getting adventurous, make a wood fire with good tasting wood, ensuring the embers burn down to a glow before grilling.
- Gas Grill: The third alternative, and probably the easiest, is a gas grill. It won’t add any flavors, but it also won’t wreck any.
Starting the Fire
- Sausages: As we don’t use lighter fluid in Brazil, we prefer to get the fire going with some dripping pork fat. Fresh Brazilian pork sausage is made with the thigh meat and is very similar to fresh Italian sausage. These sausages are wide enough to take their time on the grill and drip enough fat to get the most timid fire raging. Think of them as a way to whet the appetite, yours and the fire’s.
Preparing the Picanha
Scoring the Fat
- Score the fatty blanket on the picanha by making crisscrossing cuts. This prevents the piece from curling and dis-forming while grilling and helps the fat to release its juices into the meat.
Cutting for the Skewer
- Against the Grain: If you’d like to serve it on a big skewer like they do in churrascaria restaurants,
- Bend these pieces into semicircles, fat-side out, and place them on a large oiled skewer. Rub the exposed surface with rock salt. This method allows you to slice off delicately tender pieces without having to remove the picanha from the skewer.
- You can then rub the exposed surface with more rock salt and grill it some more. Every slice will have that outer, salty, crusty grilled deliciousness of the first slice. This is how they do it in churrascaria restaurants.
Cutting for Steaks
- With the Grain: If you don’t have the large skewer, you need not fret. You can grill a picanha home-style in thick steaks. This way is not as flashy, but I think the results are superior.
- When dividing the whole picanha into steaks, cut the meat in the same directions as the fibers. When you slice the grilled steaks to serve you will be slicing across the fibers creating deliciously juicy morsels each with their own little fatty edge.
Grilling the Picanha
Seasoning
- Roll the pieces of picanha in rock salt. This seals in the juiciness and enhances the natural flavor. Rock salt reacts like a cooking surface on the meat, creating a lightly salty crust.
Grilling Steaks
- Fat-Side Up: Grill the steaks fat-side up for about 5 minutes until juice leaks out of the top.
- Turn and Grill: Turn the steaks onto their sides and grill for a few more minutes.
- Fat-Side Down: Finally, grill fat-side down, moving the steaks away from the hottest part of the fire to avoid over-cooking and reduce fire flares from the dripping fat.
Grilling Skewers
- Grill Both Sides: If you are grilling on the big skewer, both sides are the same, there is no fat-side. Just grill one side for about 5 minutes and then the other for about 5 minutes.
- Move Skewers away from the hottest part of the grill.
Finishing the Grilling
- Grill to your desired doneness, which will likely take another 10-15 minutes depending on how you like your meat cooked. I use the finger poke to know if the meat is done and try not to puncture the meat when grilling, but if you are using a thermometer – 120F is your target temperature for medium rare.
Resting and Serving
- Tap the finished meats with the side of a knife to knock off any extra salt rocks. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Serving Picanha
- Don’t worry about serving the picanha all at once. Just as in the churrascaria restaurants, meats are served a little at a time, as they come off the grill. First serve the sausages sliced for everyone to enjoy a little at a time. Then serve the pieces of picannha as they finish cooking. There isn’t the idea of “that’s my steak, this one is yours” in churrasco. All the meat is sliced and served very socially. Guests can chose the slices that are more rare or more well done.
Special Tip
- The tip of the picanha cooks quicker than larger pieces. Either remove it early from the grill for yourself or save it to grill last.
The Magic of Churrasco
When talking about the flavors of churrasco, I think the real magic happens on the plate. With other types of cooking the magic happens perhaps in the mixer or the fry pan or the oven. A piece of superior quality meat, from a well-raised animal, grilled to perfection is a beautiful thing. But more than four bites of the same thing, even a beautiful thing, can get boring.
With churrasco, a piece of picanha or other cut grilled to reveal all its inner lusciousness, meets its best friends in the playground that is your plate. It finds farofa, the crunchy absorption master made of manioc meal toasted in bacon fat. Think crispy-nutty grits that nab runaway meat juices. Its other best friend is molho à campanha, a kind of vinegary salsa of tomatoes, onions and sometimes bell peppers, that adds freshness and its own tangy juiciness to the mix. These three make a beautiful mess in your plate. Meat slices become encrusted in the molho à campanha-soaked farofa, silverware is forgotten, fingers get licked.
This experience is what makes churrasco truly unique.
PrintHow to Grill Picanha – Easy Step by Step Guide
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6-8 1x
Description
Known for its tenderness and flavorful fat cap, picanha is a must-try for grilling enthusiasts. This guide covers everything from choosing the perfect cut to grilling it to perfection, ensuring a delicious and authentic Brazilian barbecue experience.
Ingredients
- 1 whole picanha (1.3kg to 1.5kg / 2lb 13oz to 3lb 4oz)
- Rock salt
- 1 package fresh Brazilian pork sausage (optional, for starting the fire)
For the salsa (optional, for serving):
- 4 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 mango, chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
For farofa (optional, for serving):
- 2 cups manioc meal
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat or butter
- Salt to taste
For molho à campanha (optional, for serving):
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Prepare the Fire:
- Charcoal: Use organic eucalyptus charcoal or make a wood fire. If using gas, preheat the grill to medium-high.
- Sausages: Place sausages on the grill to start the fire and add flavor.
2. Score the Fat:
- Crisscross Cuts: Score the fatty blanket on the picanha to prevent curling and help release juices.
3. Cut the Picanha:
- For Skewers: Cut the picanha into 3 pieces against the grain. Bend these pieces into semicircles, fat-side out, and place on a large oiled skewer.
- For Steaks: Cut the picanha into thick steaks with the grain.
4. Season the Meat:
- Roll the pieces of picanha in rock salt.
5. Grill the Picanha:
- Fat-Side Up: Grill the steaks fat-side up for a few minutes until juice leaks out.
- Turn and Grill: Turn the steaks onto their sides and grill for a few more minutes.
- Fat-Side Down: Grill fat-side down, moving away from the hottest part to avoid over-cooking.
6. Rest and Slice:
- Tap the finished meats with the side of a knife to knock off extra salt rocks. Let the meat rest for a few minutes before slicing.
7. Serve:
- Serve pieces of picanha as they finish cooking. Slice and serve socially.
Optional Salsa:
- Mix chopped tomatoes, mango, onions, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeños.
Optional Farofa:
- Toast manioc meal in bacon fat or butter until golden. Season with salt.
Optional Molho à Campanha:
- Mix chopped tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, vinegar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Choose an aged picanha for better flavor.
- Use rock salt for seasoning to create a salty crust.
- Serve picanha with farofa and molho à campanha for an authentic experience.
- Experiment with salsa for a unique twist.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Brazilian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 200g
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 2g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
Hi Suzie, wow thank you for this! The technique of cutting of the meat for assar and grehlar is spot on (something that I have seen many brazilian food experts mess up). And ultimately you’re right, the steak can be fantastic, but there is something about the nutty gritty farofa, and the black beans, and the relish, that makes this come together in a way that I have no words for. Obrigado!
Hi there. My wife is from Araraquara. I love grilling. We went to visit her family in Brazil in 2007. Her uncle owns a small butcher shop and decided to have a big BBQ for us before we went back home to Florida. I fell in love with picanha and her uncle taught me how to cook it. Even though we had the language barrier, with the most delicious meat in the world we didn’t need many words (our mouths were full). I make some picanha every time I find a place where I can buy it.
Hi Derek, I read your review and wanted to give you a heads up, not sure what part of Florida you live in but they sell Picanha in a meat distributor down in Miami and Miramar called Martinez Distributors http://www.mdist.us
Thank you so much for your wealth of information. I can’t wait to try this as it is really one of my favorites!
Suzie, muito boa matéria, eu morei 11 anos em Montreal e ensinei um açougueiro a corta a Alcatra do meu jeito, portanto tirando minha picanha…rsrsr.
Infelizmente, NUNCA achei onde eles enfiam a maminha, não vem junto com a peça de alcatra que eles recebem.
Se vc me permite um pitaco na sua matéria…
Picanha cortada pra colocar no espeto é coisa de churrascaria pra colocar em fogo alto e servir nas mesas, churrasco em casa, com a tarde toda pra comer e tomar uma gelada, Picanha se assa a peça inteira com fogo lento.
Afinal como diz o Bassi, churrasco não é só a carne, é a festa em torno da currasqueira
I am from South Africa. We were introduced to Picanha by a Brazilian friend in Maputo, Moçambique. In South Africa the cut is called “Flap of Rump”. Congratulations on a well written recipe with mouth watering photos.
Always great to get some great tips on brasilian cooking .
Having come from brasilian roots my mother from Salvador Bahia my father French and my self born in Bahia but raised in Australia since age 5 .
As l get older l seem to be going back to my roots and finding more and more about my old culture and especialy cooking .
l have now mastered many dishes from brasil in fact im now a bit of a expert often getting asked to make a certain brasilian dish for friends .
But the art of cooking picanha is defiantly a art every thing has to be done the correct way .
your description of how to cook etc is perfect to the point .
thank you ted
Hi Suzie,
I am from the Netherlands and Picanha is still a ‘forgotten piece of meat’ over here which can not be found frequently. In preparing for a large BBQ tomorrow I was lucky to find a number of wonderfull picanhas which I will prepare for about 100 persons. Thanks for your detailed information which is very helpful.
Hello Suzie,
I discovered picanha in a brazilian distributor in Brussels, Belgium. This delicious beef is produced and comes from Brazil and Uruguay. I have no idea which one is the best for BBQ as I cooked both either on rock salt or sometimes on garlic.
Yes I agree with you to eat it with black beans but here we love it with home made potato chip or french fry.
Bravo and merci for the fourteen detailed points with color photos illustrating how to handle the cut, to score and how to cook this juicy picanha.
Phil
Great article, with plenty of tips, technique and historic background.
Went to the store and bought 2 pieces of 3# each. Can’t wait :)
Suzie, you are a very talented writer – Obrigado!
Hi Suzie !!! Get a tip ! Just pick the full meat, dont cut anything, and cover with rock salt and put on fire ! When the piece turn all grilled take off fire … and now you cut slices about 2 a 3 centimeters … inside wil be red … just use a litle of salt ( rock or refined )and get back to fire just to finalize red or more “dark”. Sorry my english .
Checkers supermarkets in South Africa now stock the picanha routinely. Wonderful stuff and staple diet for Banting dieters
Do yoou ave any video of that? I’d love too
find out more details.
Here in the states, I make a good imitation of farofa using dry Cream of Wheat in place of the manioc which is unavailable here. I cook finely chopped bacon and onion in an iron skillet, then dump in the Cream of Wheat and toast on the stovetop. Works great!
I live in Texas, and have never seen picanha here in the stores. I like the rock salt idea!
Here in Southwest Louisiana, the piece of meat that is what we would consider to be the picanha is “the top cap of the bottom round”. However, any meat market here in the US should be able to get it for you. They do sell the rump roast anyhow and the picanha is usually the part that is trimmed off to get to the rump roast . The trimmings are usually ground up with other meats here and used to make sausage.
I am from Uruguay, I live in Miami now. You put the best words for picanha I had read.
Only thing you are missing shared with with friends and you will build moments for the rest of your life.
Thanks for writing this piece.
I wanted to add my thanks for this easy to follow guide. I cut up my picanha into steaks and grilled them per your instructions. Perfect! I diced up some garlic and mixed it with the rock salt for the rub.
I’m thinking that I might try skewering in the traditional half-moon format on my rotisserie rod and cooking it on the grill’s rotisserie. Should work out well. Have any other readers tried this?
Great story, except for one thing: The myth of “sealing the juices.” It’s right next to “allowing the steak to come to room temperature.”
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/10/the-food-labs-top-6-food-myths.html
Brilliant article – I am now hungry as wolf! Thank you very much…..
Thank’s for the recipe it’s great.
Hi Suzie,
I’m grilling a picanha tonight for our 3 adult children & spouses. This is the first time for me, and I was delighted by your article. My memories of living in Rio in the late 70’s as a young man, then again in the late 80’s with my young family, are among the fondest I have. Long lunches at the Porcao or Mariu’s with a good caipirinha before and a lengthy nap after are what your posting brought back to me.
I’m going to try something a bit different. Grilled picanha, whole, on a covered Weber grill, with a drip pan for the drippings, using the indirect method, with some linguica for starters. What do you think? fvfisher@hotmail.com
Can you send me a recipe for their basting sauces? Like their garlic basting sauce for some of their meats and chicken. Thanks.
Hi Mike, I am not familiar with any basting sauces as part of traditional churrasco. Traditional churrasco, at least in my experience, employs just rock salt. That is not to say that there aren’t any brazilian cooks out there trying new things. I’ve lived here 18 years and seen a lot of innovative grilling here, but always in the spirit of following another tradition or influence. Thanks for the question.
– Suzie
Just did a 24 hr 55C sous vide. only seasoned with salt and pepper. with a little horseradish mayo with some home fries and peas. Unbelievable. Tender. Flavorful and great texture!
I have to say that my fortino’s experience has jumped up widely in terms of their butcher shop!
Give it a try.
nitrous
I love it. I’m a butcher in AZ. All this info is correct.
Thank for these beautifully written instructions and pictures. My butcher now carries this cut (Butcher’s Alley in Bethesda for you D.C. folks) and we grill tonight!
Thanks again. Mike
Thanks so much for these instructions! My husband is from São José dos Campos, but will be grilling picanha for the first time in Canada using these tips. Very helpful – thanks again!
Worked out perfectly……thanks so much for sharing your information ,,,
Can I grill the picanha slab all at once, THEN cut into steaks from there when ready? Or is it best to first cut into steaks, then grill them individually? Lastly, I know I will be cooking with the fat cap on, but should I remove it when serving as steaks?
Thanks, Joe
We are making our 1st Picanha tonight here in Mid=City West Los Angeles after too many rib eye’s :) I Loooove your article and tips!!!!
Obrigado!!! Malibu local & Puerto Rican foodie loca :-))
I followed this recipe and the picanha was so good, my grill almost got a standing ovation from the neighbors. Bravo!
I’m from Brazil, and this guide is spot on!
I used the skewer method, and it felt just like dining at a churrascaria. So fun and delicious!