What is picanha, and why do Brazilians love it?

On this page
• Which cut is it, exactly?
• Why the fat layer is the whole point
• How it is grilled in Brazil
• Picanha na Brasa · $42
• How to order picanha

If you walk into a Brazilian restaurant and ask what to order, the answer will almost always be picanha. It is not a marketing choice. It is the cut Brazilian churrasco was built around, and for most Brazilians it is the taste of a Sunday with the family.

It is also the cut most first-time visitors have never heard of — because in the United States it is usually broken down into other things before it ever reaches a menu.

Which cut is it, exactly?

Picanha is the sirloin cap — the triangular muscle sitting on top of the rump, known in the US as the rump cap or coulotte. It is a small cut: a whole picanha weighs somewhere between two and three pounds, which is why a single one is usually shared.

What matters more than the muscle is what sits on it. Picanha comes with a thick, even layer of fat still attached, and in Brazil that layer is never trimmed. Remove it and you have a decent piece of sirloin. Leave it on and you have picanha.

Why the fat layer is the whole point

Over the flame, the fat cap renders slowly and bastes the meat from above as it goes. The muscle underneath stays juicy without needing marinade, butter or sauce — which is exactly why the traditional seasoning is nothing but coarse salt.

That is also why picanha is served in thick slices rather than thin steaks. A thin cut loses the gradient — the crisp, salty edge giving way to a soft pink centre — that the fat cap creates in the first place.

How it is grilled in Brazil

There are two traditional approaches, and both start with salt and end at the table:

1. On the skewer — the picanha is bent into a C shape, fat side out, and threaded onto a long skewer. It turns over the coals while the fat runs down over the meat. Slices are carved off the outside as they finish, so the first serving is well done at the edge and the last is rarer.
2. Whole on the grill — the piece goes fat-side down first to render and crisp the cap, then finishes on the meat side. It rests, then gets sliced against the grain into thick portions.

Either way, nothing is portioned before it is cooked. The cut goes on whole and is sliced when it comes off, which is the part that surprises people most the first time they see it.

What comes with it

A picanha plate in Brazil rarely arrives alone. The standard companions are:

• Farofa — toasted cassava flour, for texture and to catch the juices;
• Vinaigrette — chopped tomato, onion and parsley in vinegar, cutting through the fat;
• White rice and black beans — the base of nearly every Brazilian meal;
• Grilled cassava or pão de alho — garlic bread, Brazilian style.

Picanha na Brasa · $42

Salted coarsely, grilled whole over open flame, sliced at your table with farofa, rice and vinaigrette. Serves two.

See the dishReserve a table

How to order picanha

A few things worth knowing before you order it for the first time:

• Do not ask for the fat to be trimmed. It is not a garnish — it is the cooking method. It renders down and most of it never reaches your plate.
• Order it medium, or medium rare. Past medium, the muscle firms up and loses the tenderness that makes the cut worth its price.
• Plan to share. A whole picanha comfortably serves two, and it is meant for the middle of the table.
• Eat the crisp edge first. The salted, rendered outside is the best bite on the board, and it does not stay crisp for long.