Brazilian BBQ Steak

Although the world’s eyes are trained on the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, I thought I’d acquaint you with certainly one of Brazil’s most delectable grilled meats: picanha.

Pronounced “pee-KHA-nyah” in Portuguese, this tender slice of meat is indisputably a carnivorous heaven on earth.

Picanha (maybe not “piranha, ” Spellcheck, despite the Brazilian connection) is beef top sirloin with a dense cap of fat. It is often known as rump, rump cover, or coulotte. Not surprisingly, it comes from the back-end of a steer, the top the sirloin primal just while watching tail.

Maybe you’ve experienced it in a Brazilian-style steakhouse—a churrascaria like Plataforma in new york or Fogo de Chão, which has multiple areas when you look at the U.S. it really is typically crusted with coarse sodium, then cooked on a spit and carved to purchase. Once the outside cuts are offered, the picanha is re-salted and returned to the rotisserie for additional cooking, after that created again. Because of this, every eater gets a caramelized and ultra-flavorful end cut.

Native towards southernmost state in Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, picanha is reported to be named after the branding irons or cattle prods employed by the gauchos (cowboys). But ask a North American butcher for picanha and you’ll likely get a blank stare. When you look at the U.S., top sirloin is likely to be broken-down to the rump, the round, the loin, or tri-tip. Tragically, the majority of its luscious fat cap—up to 4 inches—will have been completely eliminated.

An effective whole picanha will weigh between 2 and 2-1/2 pounds and possess a 1/2-inch fat cap above. Though they’re undoubtedly difficult to acquire, I happened to be gratified to master my regional entire ingredients marketplace generally has actually untrimmed top sirloin in stock. The butcher I spoke with was extremely familiar with the terms coulotte along with picanha. If it option doesn’t be right for you, visit the brand-new conditions element of my web store and purchase frozen picanha through Amazon.com.

The only real various other thing you’ll need is coarse salt—kosher sodium, sea-salt, or rock salt pummeled into rice-like bits.

Follow this link for my recipe for authentic Picanha with Country-Style Salsa. (an alternative can be obtained for direct grilling in the event that you don’t very own a spit.) And remain tuned for Part 2, where you’ll meet among North America’s most zealous evangelists for Brazilian barbeque.