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Alcatra

Beef · Sirloin
GrillRoast

Alcatra is known in English as Rump steak.

Raw Alcatra — Beef Sirloin cut

Kintaro, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons — Faux-filet.jpg

The top sirloin / rump primal in Lusophone butchery — a large, versatile block from the hindquarter that yields the picanha (its fat-capped cap) and the maminha (its tender tail), with lean central alcatra steaks in between. Moderately marbled with a firm grain and full flavour, the central alcatra is grilled as thick steaks on the churrasco, roasted whole, or sliced for the pan. In Portugal, alcatra names the same rump region and gives its name to the famous Terceira (Azores) slow-braise, alcatra à moda dos Açores, cooked for hours in a clay pot with wine and spices. Anatomically the top sirloin / rump — sold as tapa de cuadril / cuadril in Argentina and rump in Britain.

Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇵🇹PortugalAlcatraPortuguese name for the same rump region; also the famous Azorean clay-pot braise, alcatra à moda dos Açores.
🇧🇷BrazilAlcatraprimaryBrazilian top-sirloin/rump primal; parent of picanha and maminha, grilled as thick churrasco steaks.
What to ask for
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