South Africa explains how to choose and grill picanha — Daily Maverick
In South Africa, Daily Maverick published advice on choosing and preparing picanha, a triangular cut of beef from the rear part of the carcass. The article’s author, Tony Jackman, notes that genuine picanha consists of one muscle and has a thick fat cap that should not be trimmed off.
According to Jackman, the fat renders during grilling and adds flavour to the meat. Unlike picanha, an ordinary rump steak may contain up to five muscles, so its different parts are not always equally tender.
How to choose the cut
A whole picanha usually yields five to seven steaks, so its price should not be compared with the cost of a single ribeye steak or an ordinary steak. Jackman also draws attention to cuts that imitate picanha. In particular, ribcanha is described in the source as a ribeye cut prepared and trimmed in the style of traditional Brazilian picanha, with a distinctive shape and a continuous fat cap.
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For preparation, the author advises scoring the fat cap fairly deeply with a sharp knife without piercing the red meat. The cuts should be made in long strips: the cut is later sliced along them into individual steaks. The meat is rubbed with a mixture of dried oregano, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt and black pepper, then left in the refrigerator for several hours.
Grilling in two stages
In the recipe, Jackman advises taking the picanha out of the refrigerator at least an hour before grilling. The cut should be cooked over hot coals or in a very hot pan: first with the fat cap facing down for eight minutes, then for another three minutes after turning it over.
After the first stage, the meat is cut into steaks along the scores and briefly grilled on both sides to the desired doneness. The time for the second grilling stage depends on the thickness of the steaks and the preferences of those who will eat them, but it will be shorter because the edges have already undergone heat treatment. Before serving, the steaks are advised to rest for at least five minutes.
