Meat class, Picanha/Rump Cap steak.

By no means am I a butcher, nor a meat cutter. But when I cook steak, I often cook large cuts over a long period of time. I spend a lot of energy and time getting good cuts of good quality, with lots of marbling and with generally good standard. But it does not help to have the world’s most tendere piece of meat in front of you, when you cut the meat the wrong way. That’s why I mostly cut the meat for my guests before I serve them. Then I get full control of how the meat is cooked, the taste (it`s the pit master’s privilege to taste the food before it is served), and I get to cut the meat as it should be. Because no, it does matter how you cut your steak. In this article I will tell you more about the Picanha or Rump cap steak if you like.

About Picanha and what to look for
No class without some facts. Picanha / Rump Cap comes from cattle. At the very top of the hindquarters. It is an “extension” of the tenderloin. A Picanha weighs about 1-1.4 kg depending on how much of the fat cap is still intact. A true picanha is cut after 2, and up to the third blood vain. Some people sell picanha which is somewhat larger, but then they usually have some meat after the third blood vain as well. Which then has a slightly different structure than the rest of the cut.

How to cut a Picanha
This will be different depending on how you plan to serve the meat. The last cut should ALWAYS be across the grain when cutting the meat. This is how you make sure that your mouthful is always as tender as possible. If I am going to grill picanha with skewers, I divide the pieces across the grain before I thread them on the skewer. So when it is to be served, it is still cut across the grain. If I grill them as “steaks”, I divide them WITH the grains after I have seared the fat cap. The pictures below explains a little better. This is something you can keep in mind when eating steak yourself next time, cut it across the grain.

Summary
Picanha has simmilar tenderness and consistency as of a tenderloin, but personally I think there is much more flavor in the picanha. And it tastes absolutely great on the grill. But how do you decide which piece to choose in the store? Below you will find my checklist for Picanha / Rump cap in the stores.

• Fatcap, Do not be afraid of fat, the fat gives a lot of flavor to the meat. Therefore, choose one piece with a good and thick fat cap.
• Marbling, Look for a piece with good intramuscular fat marbling. This will melt during the cooking and help with lots of flavor and add moisture so that the meat does not become dry.
• Aged, Check shelf life / expiration date. Take the one that has been sitting on the shelf longest, preferably one that has “passed the date” This meat is guaranteed to be the most tender of them!
• Localy, And support your local farmers/markets and butchers when you shop!