Tri-tip is the traditional name in United States. Outside that tradition, butchers carry comparable beef cuts under different names — sometimes the same anatomical piece, sometimes a close cousin. The alternatives below are grouped by country so you can match what your local butcher actually carries.
The same triangular tail of the bottom/top sirloin. Maminha is the Brazilian churrasco cut; tri-tip is the US (Santa Maria) name. Same muscle, different tradition.
Both are triangular cuts from the sirloin area, but picanha comes from the rump cap and is always cooked with its fat cap, while tri-tip is from the bottom sirloin and typically trimmed.
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