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The rear of the steer (or heifer) is the most sought-after piece of meat in Brazil. In fact, I’d bet that Brazilian scientists have dreamed of one day creating an animal that only produces such meat.
One might not know it by its name in English, a cut of beef whose technical denomination alternates between the ‘rump cover’ and ‘rump cap’, but in Portuguese it’s called picanha. The reason Americans might not know about it is due to the fact that American butchers generally divide up that region into other cuts like the rump, the round and the loin. That being said, there isn’t much of a point in discussing what picanha is and isn’t because there’s a very slim chance of finding a single American cut in your local supermarket to define it.
For such a great piece of meat, it has an unusual name. One story behind the name speaks of a once important Brazilian industrialist, named Francisco “Baby” Pignatari, who used to eat at a churrascaria called “Bambu” in São Paulo and his favorite type of meat was the top sirloin. On one occasion, the restaurant served him another kind of meat by mistake. Not initially noticing the difference, he ate it and loved it, at which point he asked the Argentine server about the region of the animal that the meat came from. The Argentine said it came from the part “donde se pica la aña“, which is apparently Argentine Spanish for “where one brands (the cow with the hot iron)”. From there, it is said the name picanha is derived (pica + aña).
A more simple, yet slightly-related explanation comes from veterinarian Pedro Eduardo de Felício, at a university in São Paulo who says that in the south of Brazil, the branding iron is called a picanha. Over time, the area of the animal that received the branding was called by the name of the instrument that did the branding.
Tips
No matter where the name comes from, the main thing is that you enjoy every single piece! There are a few tips for doing just that. When buying picanha, experts say it should weigh less than two and a half pounds. Anything more and it is most likely you will be paying for part of the “coxão duro” (silverside), which is a tougher meat located next to the picanha cut. The layer of fat on the bottom of the piece of picanha should be about one centimeter thick, otherwise the bovine was raised and fed in an unfit manner. Also, the color of the fat should be either white or light yellow, if it’s yellower than that, it means the animal was most likely old and the meat will be tougher than normal.
As for the actual cooking part, picanha is cooked over high heat, so if you are a fan of black pepper and don’t want it to burn up in the process, add it afterwards. All the picanha I’ve ever had was well-salted while it cooked but it’s important to use rock salt instead of sea salt because the latter will most likely ruin your picanha. The best tip of all, though, is to watch a Brazilian do it!
Below is a video (in Portuguese) that you can watch with a Brazilian and learn how to choose the right piece. By browsing Youtube you can watch a variety of videos on all aspects of picanha, although if you’d rather just eat it, many major cities have churrascarias where you are able to eat until the cows come home!
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKA1UlNMAM4]—————-
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I work at Johnny G’s Meat market in south Austin TX. We sell pichana there (Sirloin cap)
Picana (sic) it’s a cut from Tucumán, Argentina, where has been consumed for more than a century.
In the Bambú restaurant there was a Tucumán cook, by the way, who served Pignatari picana, due to the unavailability of bife de cuadril.
The theory of “pica a la aña” it’s ludicrous, to say the least.
The verb picanear is the action to poke or whip some cattle in the rump.
The equivalent “American” cut is called the Top Sirloin Cap. It’s exactly the same cut, you just need to ask the butcher to keep the fat on instead of trimming it.
Until today (2/14/18) I had never seen or
heard of Picanha, I saw it in Citarella, NYC
(3rd Ave. & East 75th St.).
What drew my attention to it was the fact
that is was such a beautiful color and so
well cut, that it was the best looking in
the showcase among many other cuts of
beef. Can’t wait til outdoor BBQ season
arrives. I would only ask how it compares
to any of the Japanese high end (no pun
intended) beef cuts.
Does anyone know of a NYC restaurant
that serves it ?
I purchase picanha at VerBrugge in Oakland on College Ave. They almost always have it, you may need to speak with the hispanic meat cutters, they will hook you up!
That is great to know!
Where can I buy Picanha in the San Francisco Bay area
I’ve been looking too and this is the only place I’ve found so far:
http://oliviersbutchery.com/
Sure thing! Thank you for posting it. I’m kind of hungry now too…
For anyone who doesn’t know Portuguese yet, take a lesson from Luciana, then return to the video! lol…ok, you can also watch this picanha video in English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBglCan_xgo
Wow, Adam, thank you for such a good article. I learned so much about picanha. It is my very favorite bbq meat! I simply cannot resist a good picanha with farofa e molho verde (molho vinagrete). Oh boy, now I am hungry!