Picanha
picanha
A fat-capped rump cut, coarse salt, fire — Brazilian steak that does not want a marinade.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: picanha.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Picanha is a specific cut (the rump cap) grilled fat-side down first, sliced with the grain into steaks or folded on a skewer. Coarse salt. If you do not have the cut, a fat-capped rump or sirloin is the stand-in — name it. Sauce is farofa and vinaigrette, not a steakhouse glaze.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Room-temperature meat. Salt. Grill fat-side down until the fat renders and the meat is your pink, 15–20 minutes depending on thickness. Rest 10.
20 minStep 2
Slice. Farofa, rice, a sharp onion-tomato vinaigrette if you have it.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Picanha → Fat-capped sirloin
Name the cut. Still a salt-and-fire steak.
Tips
- A ripping pan under a weight is the apartment version.
- Do not trim the fat off before you cook. That is the point.
History & culture
Churrasco. The cut that became a national flex in the late 20th century.
Gaúcho grilling plus a butcher's cut that restaurants made famous.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: Sepato via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Picanha%20brazil.JPG
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Picanha take?
30 min all in — 10 min prep, 20 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 steaks. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp (coarse).
What can I use instead?
Picanha → Fat-capped sirloin. Name the cut. Still a salt-and-fire steak.
Any tips from this recipe?
A ripping pan under a weight is the apartment version. Do not trim the fat off before you cook. That is the point.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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