Unlocking the Secrets of Succulent Picanha: Tips for Selection and Preparation

The Picanha is one of the noblest cut of the ox, it is very soft, juicy and has that beautiful slice of wonderful fat. The success of preparing any good meat begins at the butcher shop. The Picanha is located in the animal’s hip, where it is hardly used in the movement. Thus, it is a very tender meat. It represents 1% of the ox, which means, if it is 300 pounds, there will normally be two pieces of 1.5 pounds. There is no mistake in trying to identify the Picanha, the piece has a very characteristic triangular shape, at the top, it has a layer of fat and the underside must be clean.

Follow these tips to choose the best steak for your barbecue:

• The height of the Picanha – Your steak cannot be short, as it shows that it comes from a malnourished animal and will not be soft and juicy after roasting. Choose a Picanha that is 4 to 5 centimeters high, which gives about two or three fingers;
• The steak must be clean – A good steak should have meat and a good layer of fat, nothing more. The Picanha is next to the stiff leg that must be removed above the third vein of the piece and be cleaned of all nerves that are unpalatable for consumption. On the other hand, it must also not be full of holes made by a professional who did not know how to remove the nerves correctly;
• It must have a layer of fat – A lot of people don’t like meat with fat, but it is essential to have a soft and juicy steak, as the fat juices run down the steak as it roasts, making it more tasty and tender – then, if someone doesn’t like the fat, just eat only the meat and take it out on the plate.
• Analise the fat – the fat of the perfect Picanha is uniform, without flaws and holes, at least 1 cm in height, white or a weak, pale yellow. If the fat is very yellow, almost like an egg yolk, don’t buy it, as the meat will be tough.

How to Cut the Picanha

You can prepare the Picanha sliced or the whole piece. If you are doing a whole piece you can make superficial scratches on the fat part, to help the Picanha better absorb the salt. In case you are going to prepare in slices, we have some special tips for you.

Tips to cut your Picanha:

• The direction of the cut – for the meat not to be hard, you should cut it perpendicular to the direction of the fiber;

• The size of the slices – the perfect thickness of the slices is about as thick as 2 male fingers or 3 female fingers;

• How to cut – with the fat turned downwards and in one go, without making a “come and go” with the knife, so as not to create burrs, as this damages the fibers and influences very soft.

• How to Season The Picanha - when you season the Picanha you should pay close attention to the peculiarities of the meat, so don’t add too much salt to not dry the Picanha, make it hard and salty. You can also not add too much seasoning like pepper, garlic or other, because if you put in too much you can end up losing the flavor of the meat.

Extra Tip: I’ll give you a very important tip, never remove the fat from the Picanha, the fat is super important to make it juicy, soft and tasty. Another very important tip is to never rub salt on the meat. Therefore, you need to do it the right way to keep its qualities and taste out of the ordinary.

I hope you enjoyed all the tips and now feel ready to buy and prepare an excellent meal for your family and/or friends.