Picanha Steak

Perhaps the best loved cut in South America,and named as such, the Picanha is cut from the beef rump - it is in fact the cap of the rump.

A relatively small, triangular muscle with a recognisable cap of buttery fat, Picanha makes an excellent steak alternative, being deeply flavoured and tender. Seam-butchered by our skilled team, our Picanha steak is from small herds of traditional breed cattle reared on lush pasture in the Yorkshire countryside - dry-aged to tenderise, enhance and achieve peak eating quality.

Andrew Clarke (award-winning chef & restaurateur) talks about our beef:

Not all beef is created equal.

In my early years of cooking, beef taught me the greatest lesson, as it was the first meat that really made me think about sourcing better quality produce.

The first time I tried ‘rare breed’ beef from native cattle (dry-aged for around 70 days) my life was instantly changed, I realised I could never eat inferior beef ever again.

That’s not to say I didn’t try, but every time I did, something was seriously missing - Flavour! Texture!

I felt like I had been cheated - that somehow over the years of eating, beef had lost its ‘beefy’ smell and ‘umami’ taste, and I had been eating another meat altogether. This set me off on a lifelong journey of sourcing the very best ingredients I could find, away from the mainstream supply chains and to the smaller, craft producers.

Swaledale has been providing me with some of the best beef I’ve ever eaten or cooked, and I’m very happy that they’re now supplying direct to the consumer. If we are ever to change the way we eat meat, and bring these native, rare breeds back onto our dinner tables, it needs to be available to everyone, not just fancy restaurants.

Swaledale produces some of my favourite native breeds, Belted Galloway, Highland, and the small but extra flavoursome, Dexter.

Dry-ageing plays a huge role in flavour and texture, and Swaledale have always assisted me with getting the best out of each joint, in their Himalayan salt room. The beef I cook with usually sits around the 70-day mark, producing a firm, deep maroon coloured flesh, with an intense beef smell. They cook and cut perfectly, and deliver a flavour so great, that you don’t even need that much. Less is definitely more!

Grass-fed, heritage breed beef slow grown to maturity on the lush, green pastures of the Yorkshire Dales. Dry-aged on the bone for >28 days.

1. Take Picanha steaks out of fridge, remove packaging, pat dry with kitchen paper, pop on a plate and allow to reach room temperature
2. Oil* the steaks and season generously with coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper
3. Heat a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet until smoking hot
4. Add the Picanhas to the dry pan resisting the urge to move them and turn after 90 seconds - a rich, golden crust should have formed 
5. Once other side has cooked for 90 seconds, reduce heat slightly, turn every 30 seconds or so, repeat for a total cooking time approx. 4-6 minutes for a medium-rare steak
6. Remove from pan and rest for 6 minutes

*Select an oil with a high smoking point and neutral flavour