Picanha is known in English as Rump cap.
Picanha is rump cap in English, also sold as coulotte or top sirloin cap. It is the triangular cut with a thick fat cap.
Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — Picanha3.jpg
Picanha is a triangular cut from the top of the rump, kept with its thick fat cap intact. It is the most celebrated cut in Brazilian churrasco culture and is growing in popularity worldwide. The fat cap bastes the meat as it cooks, producing extraordinary flavor. It is typically skewered in a C-shape and slow-roasted over charcoal, then sliced tableside.
How to identify real picanha
- Shape
- A compact triangular rump-cap muscle from the top sirloin; wholesale cuts extending much farther down the sirloin are not all picanha.
- Fat cap
- The broad external fat cap is part of the Brazilian preparation and should cover one face of the cut.
- Not tri-tip
- Tri-tip comes from the bottom sirloin and has a different grain, shape, and fat distribution.
Names by country
| Country | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Rump cap | Relatively obscure in the US but growing in popularity |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | Rump cap | |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | Picaña | |
| 🇦🇷Argentina | Picaña | Growing in popularity in Argentine asados influenced by Brazilian churrasco |
| 🇫🇷France | Cœur de rumsteck | |
| 🇪🇸Spain | Tapa de cuadril | |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | Picanha | |
| 🇧🇷Brazil | Picanhaprimary | The undisputed star of Brazilian churrasco, always cooked with the fat cap on |
| 🇮🇹Italy | Codone (picanha) | The rump cap; the Brazilian loanword 'picanha' is now common in churrascherie-style restaurants. |
| 🇩🇪Germany | Picanha | Brazilian loanword now standard in German BBQ and steakhouse contexts for the grilled/skewered preparation, distinct from the Viennese boiled 'Tafelspitz' tradition. |
Select a primal to see its cuts
Classic recipe
Want one useful cut guide each week?
Every Thursday: one cut like Picanha, its names around the world, the best substitute, one dish, and one useful tool.
Free. No password. Unsubscribe anytime.
