What is "picanha"?

[BBQ Butcher]

In Brazil (and in special Brazilian restaurants in the USA), they serve meat on swords. Men walk around with swords filled with many differenet kinds of beef pork and chicken.

They usually bring around the best cut of beef when you start getting full. It is called "picanha".

I can only buy this meat in the USA at brazilian butcher shops, because I don't what this cut of beef is called in English (so I can't order it at the local butcher shop).

Any idea what you call it in English? All I know is the cut is located on the top of the rump near the back of the cow.



It is a whole untrimmed Tri-Tip of beef. Here is how to ask for it at the store, or butcher shop
askabutcher.proboards42.com/index.cgi?board=Beef&action=display&thread=1133782976

and here is a recipe...enjoy
www.isi.edu/touch/recipes/picanha.html

[riveropm]

I am not so sure that picanha is the tri-tip. It really is the rump cap (NAMP-184 or UN code 2091).

Here is a link of the different meat cuts in Latin America - although this is from Uruguay, this does contain the Brazilian cut picanha (spelled picaña in spanish) as Brazil is their main export market.

www.inac.gub.uy/servlet/com.binnov.portal.servlet.GetHttpFile/ManualDeCortes.pdf?typefile=d&contentid=2043&version=1&filename=ManualDeCortes.pdf

picanha is on page 49

[BBQ Butcher]

Thanks for the clarification and the chart.

[quietlyriot]

Churrasco no espeto, a delicious ranch-style meal firepit-roasted on swords back in the OLD days, now slid onto broad flat skewers that resemble swords. The cut of meat known as Picanha is the TOP SIRLOIN. If you don't want to get that, then you might settle for the flank, just pay attention on how you cut it so you don't end up with something that is difficult to chew! Oh, how I miss my Rio Grande do Sul !!

[BBQ Butcher]

Sounds great...thanks for posting!

[z0mbi3]

As I am a butcher in a Brazilian restaurant, I thought I would register to lend some help. The Picanha is actually the cap that sits on top of the Top Sirloin Butt Roast. The Top-Butt is made up of the Culotte muscle and the Top Sirloin (minus some trimmings). So, if you have a butcher that deals with Top Sirloin, just ask for the Culotte, which is triangular in size. They can be very difficult to come by, but because of that beautiful fat cap it has, the Culotte is worth the effort.

[BBQ Butcher]

Sept 27, 2011 23:25:21 GMT -5 z0mbi3 said:

As I am a butcher in a Brazilian restaurant, I thought I would register to lend some help. The Picanha is actually the cap that sits on top of the Top Sirloin Butt Roast. The Top-Butt is made up of the Culotte muscle and the Top Sirloin (minus some trimmings). So, if you have a butcher that deals with Top Sirloin, just ask for the Culotte, which is triangular in size. They can be very difficult to come by, but because of that beautiful fat cap it has, the Culotte is worth the effort.

Thank you sir!! And, I agree with the cap