Seems like picahna has become a pretty popular cut of meat. I have a pretty basic question: Why? I've never had one because the ginormous layer of fat I see on them is very off-putting to me. It can't really be rendering much at all. I appreciate some charred fat as much as the next person, but is it really that pleasant for you all or do you end up cutting it off after cooking and throwing it away?
Trim it down to 1/4" or 1/8" before cooking. Don't need an inch of fat on it, but it's a pretty dense fat that doesn't render away. Another reason you don't want a big, thick rim of hard, dense fat. But 1/8-1/4" isn't bad and has good flavor.
My wife would trim it off after cooking, she just won't eat it. She hates the texture of fat. Oh well.
I've cooked it before, trimming it down to about 1/4" or so then slicing into thick strips with the grain and skewering. I cooked it over live fire and loved it.
Picanha is an eclectic cut of meat here in the United States. It's very popular in Central and South America, especially Brazil. To them, it is more-or-less what a sirloin is to us. Plus it has the mystique of the Brazilian Steakhouse where it is served curved on a skewer. In fact, I think much of its recent popularity in the last decade is people on YouTube being nostalgic for what they grew up eating!
I've cooked it once and it was very, very good, although I simply would prefer a NY Strip. The amount of fat cap does vary and it does need to be trimmed down to something reasonable. It's just like a brisket; you wouldn't cook a completely untrimmed. brisket.
Last edited by Michael_in_TX; August 5, 2026, 07:39 PM.
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We fix picanha frequently, can't say I've ever gotten one with a one inch fat cap. Anyway, we don't trim the fat cap, its part of the goodness of picanha. It should be cooked hot and fast, and the fat gets crisp and delicious. As to cooking it as a roast, never have and probably never will. As a roast, it should be called rump cap roast If you put "picanha" in google translate, you get "rump STEAK"! Anyway, just my cantankerous opinion, yours may vary.
I agree, it IS a rump cap roast, that's what picanha translates to Swedish. And when taking butchering class we cut it out, so I know for a fact now that is is the rump cap.
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When I have had the picanha cuts in a Brazilian restaurant either here in the US or Brazil, they can have a relatively thick bit of fat cap but the way it’s trimmed at the table leaves a small thin layer of fat that ends up being charred to perfection imo. My wife still doesn’t eat that part and I don’t every time but if it’s just the right size…mmm…deliciousness!
Money shot! 100% they don’t just plonk a whole piece on your plate. Gotta slice it.
TheAmazingJohnJ if you have a rotisserie the fat melts and bathes the meat with flavor. Also, it is one of the “beefiest” flavored cuts out there. Definitely don’t sleep on it.
What is not being said is the fat is very different from the fat on say the outside of a strip steak and is much more pleasurable to eat.
I would not leave more than 1/2 in of a fat cap but if you cook it brazilian style, some of the fat renders but more importantly it softens up and the outside crisps up beautifully. So when you get a slice, you get both lean meat, soft/tender fat and a crispy bacon-like outerlayer
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