Picanha steaks are a type of meat traditionally eaten in Brazil and later in Portugal. Though not as common in the United States, it has become more popular in the past few years due to the spread of Brazilian steakhouses.
The cuts generally come from the top back end of the cow next to the tail. If you're curious where to buy picanha beef, we've spared you the trouble.
With years in nutrition, I get the meat-lover's need for tasty and great options. As a carnivore diet advocate, I know how tricky it can be to find the best meat available.
All in all, you snag some killer picanha steak at your local butcher shop, a fancy grocery store, or even online meat suppliers. Let me share with you trusted sources for the best cuts of picanha with you.
Quick Summary
- The best places to buy Picanha online include ButcherBox, Crowd Cow, Good Chops, Snake River Farms, Porter Road, Omaha Steaks, and Kansas City Steak Company.
- The taste of Picanha is tender and juicy, often compared to top sirloin cap.
- According to a 1988 study published on PubMed, an evaluation of home-delivered meals provided by a meal program over five consecutive days each year for six years revealed that home-delivered meals make important contributions to the nutrition needs of the recipients [1].
- Buying Picanha may not be cheap, but it's comparable to similar-quality sirloin.
Best Places To Buy Picanha Online
When it comes to finding the best places to buy Picanha online, several top-notch options stand out. You can explore the tested and honest reviews below.
1. ButcherBox
ButcherBox is a meat delivery service that sells grass-fed and grass-finished beef, heirloom-bred pork, and poultry raised crate-free.
They never use any hormones or additives and only source meat from farms that use humane growing practices. You can be sure you’re getting quality meat from fairly treated animals.
Their picanha cuts are crazy tender, with a beautiful fat cap that melts as you cook it. You’ll get melt-in-your-mouth meat that’s best cooked medium-rare or roasted over an open fire.
ButcherBox has free shipping on all orders. We were amazed to see they sent a gift with every order, so it doesn’t get more affordable than this.
Plus, they promote their meat as USDA choice with this outer layer of meat that provides rich and flavorful bites.
2. Crowd Cow
Crowd Cow offers their steak as Coulotte. Their cut comes from American Wagyu Angus ensuring that each cut is well-marbled and easy to grill, providing a distinctive Wagyu picanha (understand that "Wagyu" translates to 'Japanese cow,' signifying meat from Japanese cattle, hence Japanese wagyu).
According to a 2016 review in the National Library of Medicine, Wagyu is highly marbled beef, which is achieved through specific breeding, feeding, and management practices to meet consumer preferences [2].
Their steaks are pasture-fed using natural grain.
You can get this cut of meat shipped to your home in as few as two days after orders are placed.
Check out this link to see what else Crowd Cow has to offer.
3. Good Chops
Good Chops offers 25 different meat cuts, and you can choose between medium or large boxes. Once you set up a subscription, you’ll regularly get a meat box every four weeks.
You can choose between custom or pre-packed boxes and set up a delivery frequency that works for you.
Their picanha cuts come from US farms. Animals are responsibly raised, sustainably sourced, and not given any hormones or additives. This way you can be sure that you are getting healthy meat at a very reasonable price.
Apart from picanha, Good Chops meat delivery offers a wide range of cuts, such as ribeye, filet mignon, New York Strip Steak, and more.
4. Snake River Farms
Snake River Farms is a great delivery option if you are looking for an American Wagyu rump. Know that American Wagyu rump refers to a unique cut of beef - 'rump' refers to the hindquarters of the animal, while 'American Wagyu rump' cut refers to American Wagyu rump, resulting in marbling and softness.
According to an article in Britannica, this cut will generally command a higher price as Wagyu has better fat marbling than other cuts of meat and is harder to raise [3].
In general, Wagyu offers superior fat marbling which adds to better flavor. Wagyu's unique qualities make it a more challenging meat to raise, resulting in a premium product worth tasting at least once.
You can order meat deliveries throughout the year and can choose from standard or overnight shipping. If you wish to learn more about SRF read this review.
5. Porter Road
Porter Road differs from many of the other online butchers in that they offer dry-aged sirloin steaks with the fat cap still intact.
This process ensures that each piece of beef is great on the grill.
The company recommends letting the steak rest for fifteen minutes after you grill or roast it to let the juice redistribute.
You can read our complete Porter Road review by clicking here.
6. Omaha Steaks
Omaha Steaks is one of the largest meat distributors in the country. We like that they have a reputation for high-quality steak.
The company lists their cut as top sirloin cap steak and recommends that you grill or roast it.
You can get your order of this famous meat from Brazil using standard meat delivery or, if you would prefer, one to two-day delivery. You can learn more about what Omaha Steaks has to offer in this blog post.
7. Kansas City Steak Company
Kansas City Steak Company is another butchers’ shop that delivers steaks throughout the country through online delivery.
Their sirloin cap steaks are three to four lbs. and the most expensive we could see when reviewing different companies.
You can read our honest review of Kansas City Steak Company on this link.
What Does Picanha Taste Like?
Picanha is described as having a tender and juicy taste, while its succulent fat provides a distinct flavor. One of the reasons it is so popular is due to the tenderness of the meat and the flavor.
The beef flavor is typically closest to a top sirloin cap with a juicy flavor and tender texture.
We find that it can be very delicious if you cook it correctly.
From our own experience, you want to get a cut with the fat cap still on it as these are generally more tender and cook well.
“Picanha steak is a prized cut of beef in Brazil, also known as ‘rump cap’. Ask your butcher for this, or a good quality rump steak will also work.”
- Jamie Oliver, Professional Chef & Restaurateur
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Why You Should Buy Picanha?
Reasons for buying Picanha:
- While it may not be cheap, the cost is comparable to a similar-quality sirloin.
- Picanha offers a delightful combination of tenderness and succulent fat.
- The muscles near the fat cap are particularly tender, especially when slow-grilled, resulting in juicy and distinct flavors.
- Grilling and preparing picanha is relatively easy, allowing for a variety of delicious recipes such as skewers, tacos, and chimichurri.
FAQs
1. Is Picanha Better Than Ribeye?
Picanha might be preferable to ribeye if you prioritize tenderness. Picanha is often perceived as tougher in texture compared to ribeye, which many favor for its tenderness.
2. Does Walmart Sell Picanha?
Walmart offers picanha on their online store. However, it's crucial to mention that each piece is notably pricier than the options we reviewed earlier. Also, please note that during our review, they were out of stock.
3. What Is Picanha Called in English?
Picanha cuts in English are typically known as either a top sirloin cap or a rump cover. This is what the steak is known as in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the common term is the rump cap.
4. What is USDS Prime Picanha?
"USDA Prime Picanha" is a top-quality beef cut. It combines the tenderness and rich flavor of Picanha, a Brazilian rump cap, with the highest USDA quality grade known for exceptional marbling and taste.
References:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3335719/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5243954/
- https://www.britannica.com/technology/meatprocessing/Protein#ref501707
