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picanha-coulotte

By any name, coulotte or picanha, this is a cut everyone can enjoy

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A hidden delight of being a ButcherBox member is the monthly unpacking. As proof, check out one of the hundreds of videos people have posted online of them opening and discovering the cuts included in each month’s shipment.

One of the reasons the unboxing can be so exciting is that each month we include unique, difficult to find, and often underappreciated cuts of beef, pork, and chicken. 

Some months, members may have come across a slab of beef that they’ve likely never seen at a butcher shop with a name they may not be familiar with: Coulotte, which is also commonly referred to as picanha, as well as fat cap, rump cap, or top sirloin cap by North American butchers.

This cut is derived from the triangular muscle of the top sirloin butt, also known as Biceps femoris. Coulotte is a lean steak that comes from this hindquarter section of the cow, specifically between the loin and the round. Often a couple of inches thick, picanha is usually identified by the thin layer of fat that covers one side of the cut. The fat layer gives the cut much of its flavoring as there is little marbling inherent in coulotte.

An international cut of beef

The name ‘coulotte’ itself has a bit of complicated backstory. There is some confusion over the derivation of the word from the original French. Some believe the word is closest related to ‘culot,’ meaning cap, a reference to the location and thin layer of fat of the top sirloin cut. However, there is also a belief that the name coulotte is derived from the French word ‘cul,’ meaning bottom or, to the dirtier-minded, is slang for the human derriere.  This interpretation is taken from the French word’s relation to the Latin word ‘culus,’ meaning bottom, and refers to the location of the muscle in the cow’s hindquarters or backside.

To complicate matters further, another cut, the ribeye cap, which is very different steak altogether, is known in France as the ‘calotte,’ a name also related to the cap-like nature of that cut.

Most people are first introduced to the top sirloin cap by its Brazilian name, picanha, which is the specialty of churrascarias — Brazilian steakhouses that grill and slice the steak off a skewer. Churrascarias derive their name from the term churrasco, which is Portuguese for barbecue.

“Picanha, or coulotte, is hugely popular in Brazilian BBQ,” our in-house ButcherBox chef Yankel Polak said. “It is a perfect cut to grill.”

One thing is clear, when dry-seasoned and cooked carefully — do not overcook — the coulotte is a delicious steak. The cut is fantastic when cooked on a grill, but it is also has a lot of other uses, including for kabobs, steak sandwiches, stews, stir fry, shredded Mexican-style beef, and more.

“picanha-coulotte”

Preparing coulotte/picanha

In the summer, you can grill picanha/coulotte on skewers, Brazilian churrasco-style, over a wood fire or on a charcoal grill. When grilling the steaks outdoors, first score the fat cap, cut into smaller steaks — against the grain — and then season generously with kosher salt or rock salt and fold and skewer. You can also cook directly on a grill; to do that right, first cook with the fat cap down for a few minutes. 

Either way, whether you are in New York or California, grilled picanha will make you feel like you are in Rio de Janeiro in the summer.

“It’s crazy tender with a beautiful fat cap that just melts and crisps as you cook it,” he added. “Sliced thin and against the grain, this hunk of sirloin will literally melt in your mouth when treated properly, which is medium rare or skewered and slow roasted over an open fire.”

Chef Yankel loves a good mole. However, preparing the dish can be time-intensive. “Cheat the system by using mole-inspired flavors — peppers, nuts, spices, and chocolate — as a rub instead of a sauce,” he suggests. “Then top it all off with a spicy tomatillo salsa.”

picanha-coulotte

Chef Yankel has a few delicious coulotte recipes to share. First, check out the video of him demonstrating his “Smoky Chili Rubbed Coulotte with Red Pepper Salsa” recipe in the video below and also find Chef Yankel’s “Mole-Rubbed Coulotte with Tomatillo Salsa” recipe after the video. 

Chef Yankel’s recipe for Mole-Rubbed Coulotte (Picanha/Top Sirloin Cap) with Tomatillo Salsa

Servings:  4    Prep: 10 minutes    Cook: 1½ hours

Ingredients:

  • 1 ButcherBox Coulotte (Top Sirloin Cap)
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • ¼ cup pecan
  • ¼ cup almond
  • 1 dried ancho chili
  • 1 dried chipotle chili

Tomatillo Salsa

  • 6 tomatillo, husk removed and rinsed
  • 1 poblano pepper
  • 1 jalapeño pepper
  • 1 serrano pepper
  • 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine kosher salt, cinnamon, cumin, garlic powder, cocoa powder, both chilies, and nuts.

2. Pulse until chilies and nuts are finely chopped.

3. Rub both sides of coulotte roast with the spice rub.

4. Refrigerate for 3 hrs or overnight.

5. Place coulotte on sheet pan and roast in 200℉ oven until internal temperature is 115℉.

6. Remove from oven and sear in a hot pan on all sides, 1½ min per side. Let rest for at least 8 min, then slice thinly against the grain.

Directions:  Tomatillo Salsa

1. Toss tomatillos, garlic, and whole peppers in avocado oil.

2. Place on sheet pan and roast in a 400°F oven for 15 min or until tomatillos and peppers are browned from roasting.

3. Remove from the oven and place items in a mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 min.

4. Remove the skin of the tomatillos and peppers and the seeds from the peppers.

5. Place tomatillos, peppers, garlic and the liquid from the mixing bowl in a food processor.

6. Add lime juice and puree.

7. Serve over the coulotte and enjoy!

Why it is difficult to find a good butcher shop nearby

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One memorable character on the classic television show The Brady Bunch was “Sam the Butcher,” the love interest of the Brady’s maid, Alice. He was central to the pt of a number of episodes, so much so that many scenes were set inside Sam’s meat market.

The local butcher — nevermind a butcher shop — is a concept that seems quaint these days. Going to get a steak, seek out a custom cut of beef, or even to get advice on how best to cook certain cuts from the local expert is an outdated concept. Mention you are going to a “meat market” to a member of a younger generation, and they may think you’re talking about going to a nightclub for the evening.

These days, butcher shops are nearly extinct.

You can still find some that cater to specific customers, like a halal butcher; but, the traditional butcher shop now seems like a relic of a bygone era. Here in the Boston area, there are only a handful of purveyors who offer not only the best meat available locally, but also the breadth of meat knowledge and expertise that only a trained butcher can supply.

There used to be a lot of local butcher shops; many were neighborhood staples in big cities; towns and suburbs often had multiple competing butchers. But for the most part, they’ve ceased to exist. There used to be a reputable butcher shop near me — where I could get a custom cut, where the man behind the counter could explain what the terms prime, Angus, and dry-age means, and where someone could not only suggest the best quality meats but explain the best way to cook certain cuts. I knew I could rely on this shop for great quality, and that’s where I sent friends looking for the best meats. But that closed down.

Now, the only place where you can get some shared butcher shop wisdom is Whole Foods, and only if you’re lucky enough to be talking with someone who actually plies the butcher trade. But Whole Foods stores are not very prevalent in most of the country.

Career Butchers are Disappearing

While there are still plenty of people who work with meat day in and day out, there are far fewer people who are now career butchers. Historically it was a profession that was passed down through families. As our ButcherBox in-house chef Yankel Polak explains, “Butchery is an art form. You need a deep knowledge of anatomy and which muscles work in each way, but you also need expert knife skills and a knowledge of how to cook the meat you are cutting.”

And this is the crux of it; the knowledge and customer service that were once necessities for the butcher trade don’t exist. While I may not be able to find a butcher near me, I could go to the local grocery to buy meat. But there,  butchers have only a very specific set of expertise, because they only sell a narrow range of cuts.

After all, stores sell what is popular. Their meat selection is limited to one or two roasts and grilling steaks like NY strip, ribeye, and a bunch of cheap steaks that will taste terrible if the cook doesn’t know how to prepare them, and instead throws them on the grill without marinating.

Furthermore, the butchers at a chain grocery store usually cut meat like a factory worker on an assembly line. No need for butcher classes. To be a butcher today, one no longer needs to go to a butcher college and study the art of the profession.

And so, while you may be lucky enough to live somewhere where there is a butcher shop nearby and an old-school butcher continuing the trade, most people’s diets have been unknowingly affected by the disappearance of the local craft butcher. Not only are people less knowledgeable about meat — where specific cuts come from, their flavor, and how to cook them — but they also don’t get to experience the full range of cuts that you won’t find at a grocery store.

And that’s one of the great things about a ButcherBox subscription. Each month, you will receive harder-to-find cuts and steaks that may not be familiar. ButcherBox members also get access to recipes, suggestions for how best to cook certain meats, and how-to tutorials on everything from making a holiday roast to the best chicken and waffles recipe around.

At least, if you can’t walk to a butcher shop nearby, you can have the next best thing delivered to your door.