beef Loin
Picanha
Sold trimmed, it is just a top sirloin. The cap is the cut.
Picanha is the sirloin cap — a triangular muscle (biceps femoris) taken from the top of the beef loin and sold with its thick fat cap left on. Cook it hot and fast, grill or rotisserie, to medium-rare at 130–135°F, render the fat cap until it crisps, and slice across the grain. It is the centerpiece cut of Brazilian churrasco.
Buy it if
You want big beef flavor off a grill and a fat cap that bastes the meat while it cooks.
Picanha sits on top of the sirloin, right where the loin meets the round. It is one muscle — the biceps femoris — with a fat cap that can be an inch thick before trimming. That cap is the whole point: it renders down over fire and bastes the meat under it, which is why picanha tastes richer than a top sirloin steak cut from the muscle directly beneath it.
In Brazil it is cut into thick C-shaped pieces, bent over a skewer fat side out, and turned over coals. In an American kitchen it works just as well as a two-to-three pound roast on a rotisserie, or seared whole and finished in the oven.
Where it comes from on the animal
| Species | beef |
|---|---|
| Primal | Loin |
| Subprimal | Top sirloin cap (biceps femoris) |
What else it’s called
How to cook Picanha
| Best methods | Grill Rotisserie Pan sear Oven roast |
|---|---|
| Skip | Braise |
| Cook to | Medium-rare, 130–135°F; render the fat cap, slice across the grain |
| Marbling & flavor | Moderate intramuscular marbling — the flavor comes mostly from the fat cap rather than the interior. Buy it with at least a quarter-inch of cap left on; a fully trimmed picanha is just a top sirloin. |
Picanha is a hot-and-fast cut. The fat cap needs enough time over moderate heat to render, and the meat underneath needs to come off the fire at medium-rare — those two things are in tension, which is why the fat-side-first method works better than searing it like a steak.
- Trim the fat cap back to about a quarter-inch and score it in a diamond pattern. Do not cut into the meat.
- Salt heavily with coarse salt — either 40 minutes ahead, or right as it hits the fire. Nothing else is required.
- Start fat side down over indirect heat so the cap renders, then move it over direct heat to crisp and finish. Pull at 130–135°F in the centre.
- Rest 10 minutes, then slice across the grain. The grain runs the length of the triangle, so cut perpendicular to the long edge.
Picanha vs Tri-tip
Both are triangular sirloin cuts, sold whole and sliced across the grain, and both are grill cuts. The difference is the fat cap and which end of the sirloin they come from — picanha is the top, tri-tip is the bottom.
| Picanha | Tri-tip | |
|---|---|---|
| Primal | Top sirloin (loin) | Bottom sirloin |
| Fat cap | Thick, left on | Trimmed, minimal |
| Typical weight | 2–3 lb whole | 1.5–2.5 lb whole |
| Best method | Grill, rotisserie | Grill or reverse-sear |
| Margin for error | The cap bastes it as it renders | Narrow — lean, and it needs a thermometer |
| Flavor | Rich and buttery from the cap | Leaner, more mineral |
| Grain | Runs the length of the triangle | Changes direction mid-roast |
Full Picanha vs Tri-tip comparison →
If Picanha is sold out
Closest match
Top sirloin
The muscle directly beneath picanha. Same grain, same cooking, but no fat cap — add oil or finish with butter.
Same shape
Tri-tip
Triangular sirloin roast that cooks and slices the same way. Leaner, and the grain changes direction partway through.
If you want the fat
Ribeye cap
The richest alternative in the case — more marbling and far more tender, at a noticeably higher price.
Common questions
Is picanha the same as coulotte?
Yes — coulotte (or culotte) is the North American butcher's name for the same muscle, and you will also see it as sirloin cap, rump cap or punta de anca. The names travelled with the cooking traditions rather than with the anatomy, which is why one muscle ended up with half a dozen of them.
Should I cook picanha whole or cut into steaks?
Whole for a rotisserie or a large grill. Cut into thick C-shaped steaks across the grain if you are using a hot pan or skewers.
Do I cut the fat cap off?
No. Trim it back to about a quarter-inch and score it. It renders down and bastes the meat; removing it takes away most of what makes picanha picanha.
Which way does the grain run?
Along the length of the triangle. Slice perpendicular to the long edge, or it eats tough no matter how well you cooked it.
Other loin cuts
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Top Sirloin
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Filet Mignon
The most tender beef there is, and nowhere near the most flavorful
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Tri-Tip
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