Picanha is a very famous cut of meat among Brazilians. The particular taste of the picanha makes it the preferred meat of Brazilians and others who experience this flavor. The Picanha name comes from the term used by Portuguese ranchers referring the place where they poke the cow. The most famous Picanha comes from Argentina, where the beef has the highest quality and tenderness. The delicious Picanha’s flavour comes from a light yellow and rich fat cap on top of the meat. This beef cut is located between Rump and Round, and doesn’t weight more than two and half pounds, otherwise it could have a substantial part of the Silverside cut. The price of the meat in Canada in around $20.00 a piece. If you try to buy or eat Picanha in other country as Canada, you need to ask for Top Sirloin Cap.
I normally buy this cut of beef at the Portuguese market named “O Nosso Talho” at 1042 Bloor St West, where I also can find many others products to cook Brazilian and Portuguese food. I normally like to cook and eat Picanha at home, grilled in a cast iron skillet with butter. If you want to go out to eat it, you have a Brazilian restaurant called “Copacabana”, situated at 150 Eglinton East or 230 Adelaide St. West. Brazilians normally eat Picanha in home-made barbecue, or we go out to eat in Churrascarias to have a Rodizio, where they serve us Picanha and other greats cuts of beef, along with many other types of meat, stuffed and/or with special seasoning.
If a had a restaurant, I would include Picanha in the menu, as we normally serve in Brazil. I don’t see a best way to cook and utilize this cut in restaurants, although we have many others ways to cook it.
In Churrascarias, the Picanha usually is served after being roasted on the charcoal barbecue on a big skewer, going straight to your table, were the waitress slices pieces of beef directly in your plate.
In other restaurants the Picanha is sliced and grilled in iron skillets or flat tops with butter, and served with fries, cooked or fried cassava, farofa and rice. This is the best way to eat and serve Picanha.
Here is a simple recipe to cook picanha.
Ingredients:
800g of Picanha
Tbsp salt/pepper
100g of cubed butter
40ml olive oil
1,5L water
400g of cassava
Salt to taste
100g of melted butter for cassava
Preparation:
In a two litters sauce pot cook the cassava until soft, and season with salt;
Check with fork if cassava is cooked, drain the water and add butter on top;
Using a chef’s knife or other slice the Picanha into pieces no more than 2 cm high, so that we can do a butterfly cut afterwards, not cutting through the fat cap. Season with salt/pepper both sides;
Pre-heat the iron skillet and add ¼ of oil and butter;
Grill the Picanha on both sides. 2 minute each side. The fat cap has to have a golden-brown color when it’s ready. Picanha is served rare or medium-rare.
Place cassava and the grilled Picanha in a plate and enjoy!
PICANHA! - STEAKS vs SKEWERS - How, What & When, all you need to know!, Guga Foods, 28 November 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN1WSU2g9dA
Picanha with cassava, Farofa and rice.,Três Potes Restaurante, Menu, 30 January 2019 http://www.restaurantetrespotes.com.br/alacarte.html
"Picanha." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 December 2018 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picanha
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