Picanha

Picanha is beef rump cap, seasoned with nothing but coarse salt and grilled slowly over charcoal with its thick fat cap left on, until that fat turns crisp and self-bastes the meat beneath it. It's the cut a Brazilian churrascaria builds its whole menu around, curved into a "C" shape on a skewer so the fat sits on the outside facing the fire, and it's southern Brazil's contribution — the gaúcho barbecue tradition of Rio Grande do Sul — to a cut now served in steakhouses worldwide.

What it really is

The rump cap is skewered whole, bent into a crescent with the fat cap on the outside, and grilled slowly enough that the meat cooks through gently while the fat renders and crisps rather than burning. Salt is coarse rock salt, pressed on before grilling and mostly shaken off after — enough to season, not enough to cure. Once off the fire, it's sliced thin against the grain, straight across the fat, and served immediately while it's still hot from the skewer.

The salt-only seasoning is the point, not a shortcut. No marinade, no rub, no oil — the whole technique is built around a cut good enough that fat and fire are the only things it needs, and adding more to it reads as covering up the meat rather than improving it.

How it's served

• Sliced straight off the skewer at the table, in a churrascaria's rodízio service, or plated in individual portions elsewhere.
• With farofa, vinagrete (a Brazilian tomato-and-onion relish) and rice and beans on the side.
• Cooked to order, though mal passada (rare) to ao ponto (medium) is how most Brazilians eat it.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the cut specifically — "picanha," not just "steak" — since it's what regulars are ordering by name.
• Say how it's cooked and offer a doneness choice; a fat cap this thick changes with every extra minute on the fire.
• Note if it's part of a rodízio (all-you-can-eat skewer service) or sold as a standalone portion, since the two are ordered differently.

The ingredients, allergens and dietary notes listed here describe a typical recipe. They are not a binding declaration for any particular restaurant: recipes, portion sizes and the products used can differ.