America Is Sleeping On This Brazilian Beef Cut, According To A Butcher

Popular beef cuts like brisket and ribeye steaks are beloved for good reason, but it's a good idea to try something new every now and then. Lesser-known options can surprise you with their flavor and texture, opening up a whole new world of meat for your palate. When Mashed asked several chefs and experts which underrated cuts of meat they loved, Herd Provisions owner Alec Bradford brought up one of Brazil's most beloved pieces of beef: picanha.

A mainstay in the best Brazilian steakhouses in the US, picanha is a relatively lean, yet tender cut taken from the rump of the cow. When butchered, a thick fat cap is left intact, and it's this feature that makes the meat good. As it renders, the steak is essentially basted in its own fat, keeping it juicy. The fat also provides a buttery complement to the robust beefiness, giving you flavorfully balanced meat when cooked correctly.

Bradford recommends searing a picanha in butter, garlic and herbs with the fat side down so that it has enough time to render properly. You can score the fat cap to help it absorb more of the seasoning, as well as to assist with the rendering. From there, aim for a medium to medium-rare cook for best results. You can also check out this guide on the best ways to cook picanha for more tips.

While picanha is gaining popularity online, not all American butchers are familiar with the cut. If your meat guy isn't sure what you're talking about, try asking for it by its other names. Some will know it as the rump cap, top sirloin cap, or top butt cap and sell you the whole cut. Others might know it as a coulotte steak. However, this variant generally comes in the form of individual steaks instead of the full slab and may have the fat trimmed off.

For a whole picanha, you'll want one that's roughly 2 to 3 pounds. A bigger portion could have portions from nearby parts of the cow, such as the round, loin, or flank. These sections will have a different texture and flavor from the sirloin cap, so you'll want to keep the cut relatively small if you want a "pure" picanha experience. The fat cap should also be around half an inch thick so you can get all that buttery goodness basting your steak as it cooks. For peak flavor, you can also ask for a cut that's been aged around two to four weeks, if available.

If you find yourself developing a taste for picanha, you may want to give other Brazilian steakhouse meats like the alcatra (top sirloin) or the cupim, which comes from the hump of a special breed of cow. Brazilian culture takes its meat seriously, after all, so the cuisine is definitely worth exploring.