Buying and lighting calculator · Beef

How much picanha do I buy and when do I light?

Picanha, or rump cap, is the triangle of fat and meat that covers the hip of the animal and the jewel of Brazilian grilling. In Spain you find it at specialist butchers in whole pieces of 1.2 to 1.8 kg, always with a layer of fat about a centimetre thick that protects the meat. We count 270 g raw per person: the fat trimmed at the table and the fat rendered in the fire take away about 25 %, leaving about 200 g on the plate. In the kamado the reverse sear gives the best result: about 160 °C indirect, fat side down, until 46-49 °C in the centre, and a final sear over strong coals. Always slice against the grain, in thin slices.

How to ask for it

For 4 people: Ask for the whole picanha (rump cap) with its 1 cm fat cap, to make up 1.25 kg; do not let them trim it.

The fat cap and cooking loss add up to about 25 %: 270 g raw leaves about 200 g on the plate. pull at 46-49 °C and sear to 52 °C in the centre.

How we calculate it

We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.

To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.

Frequently asked questions

How much picanha per person?

Count about 270 g raw per person. Picanha carries a fat cap of about a centimetre that partly renders and that many leave on the plate, and cooking removes a little more; in total about 25 % is lost, leaving a serving of roughly 200 g. A 1.5 kg piece serves five or six.

How long does picanha take in the kamado?

A whole piece of 1.4 to 1.8 kg needs about 40 to 55 minutes indirect at 160 to 165 °C, until 46-49 °C in the centre; then it rests 10 minutes and is seared a minute per side over strong coals, to about 52 °C. The fat goes down at first so it renders without burning.

Should you trim the fat off picanha before cooking?

No. Leave it whole and, if you like, score a diamond pattern without reaching the meat so the fat renders better. It protects the piece while cooking and gives the typical flavour. If you do not like it, remove it when serving; that fat is already counted in the 270 g per person.

Other Beef cuts

← All cuts

Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".