Sirloin / rump primal · Beef cut guide
Picanha
Picanha is the cap of the sirloin primal, a triangular cut also known as sirloin cap, coulotte, or rump cap, weighing typically 1.0 to 1.5 kg with a thick fat cap left attached. It is the centerpiece of Brazilian churrasco, prized for the flavor that renders out of its fat cap when grilled, and for the firm, beefy muscle underneath.
Anatomy and naming
Picanha sits on top of the top sirloin (gluteus medius is below it; picanha itself is the biceps femoris cap). In the US it is most often broken down and sold as separate sirloin steaks, the Brazilian cut keeps the cap and its fat layer intact, which is essential to the eating experience. The fat cap is left whole specifically to render down the muscle during cooking, basting it from above.
Authentic picanha must include the full fat cap, ideally 1 to 2 cm thick. American "coulotte" is often sold trimmed of most of the fat, the resulting cut is leaner, faster to cook, but loses what makes picanha picanha. When buying, look for the triangular shape and the intact white fat cap on top. In Brazil the cut is grilled whole on a skewer or sliced thick (3-4 cm steaks against the grain).
Also known as
Sirloin cap · Coulotte (US) · Rump cap (Australia/UK) · Tafelspitz (Germany, related) · Maminha (Brazil, separate cut)
USDA beef carcass diagram - Picanha sits in the Sirloin / rump primal
How to spot a good one
Visual markers
Triangular shape with a thick (1-2 cm), white fat cap on top, the defining feature
Firm, deep-red lean underneath the cap, picanha is a working muscle and runs leaner than ribeye
Visible but moderate marbling in the lean, picanha is not heavily marbled even at premium grades
White, firm fat (not yellow or oily) on the cap; yellow fat suggests an older animal or grass-only diet (not necessarily worse, but flavor changes)
For whole picanha, weight in the 1.0 to 1.5 kg range, much larger pieces are usually mixed with other muscles
Cooking, on Pro
Cook picanha like its grade
MeatGrader Pro gives you a cooking guide tailored to the exact cut and quality grade in front of you. Temperature, time, primary and alternative methods, resting, pairings.
A USDA Prime picanha gets a different guide than a Choice picanha, and an A5 BMS 9 wagyu cut gets something else again. Generic recipes do not know which one you have. Pro does.
Free with 3 analyses on signup. Pro is $1.99/month for unlimited analyses + the cooking guide.
How it grades
Grading picanha
Picanha is the flagship cut for Brazilian beef culture, but Brazil does not have a national grading system. MeatGrader applies its own MeatGrader Quality 0-100 scoring to picanha. For US-origin picanha (sold as "coulotte" or "sirloin cap"), USDA quality grades apply, but a USDA Prime grade reflects the carcass's ribeye marbling, not the picanha specifically.
FAQ
Common questions about picanha
What people ask most about picking, cooking, and grading this cut.
Score any picanha from a photo
Photograph your picanha and see how it grades against the regional system you select.