Whole Picaña Argentina

Picaña — tapa de cuadril, or rump cap — has a fat cap that's half the point of the cut. Rule number one: don't remove it and don't cut the piece up before cooking. Whole, it cooks evenly and holds its juices.

Preparing the fat

Score the fat cap in shallow diamonds, without reaching the meat. That helps it render and crisp up. Coarse salt over the top, generously: fat needs more salt than meat does.

Cooking it

• Gentle heat (your hand lasts 6 to 8 seconds) and always fat side down, 25 to 30 minutes. It will drip and flare up — move it aside or spread the embers, but don't let it burn.
• Turn it and give it 15 to 20 minutes on the meat side.
• Rest for 5 to 10 minutes. It's a big piece: it needs that time.

The final cut

Slice it 1.5 cm thick, always against the grain, and serve a bit of the fat with every slice. If the centre is too pink for someone, those slices go back on the grill for 30 seconds a side — never the whole piece.

Picaña in the oven achieves almost everything it does on the grill: the fat renders, browns, and the meat stays pink inside. Only the smoke is missing — everything else is the same.

Preparing the piece

Score the fat cap in diamonds without reaching the meat, and salt it generously with coarse salt. Whole, never cut into steaks: that way it holds its juices and cooks evenly.

Sear it in a pan first

In a really hot pan, with no added fat, stand the piece on its fat side for 5 to 6 minutes until it starts to render and colour. That step is what gives you the crust the oven alone can't manage.

Into the oven

• 180 °C with the fat ALWAYS facing up, so it bastes the meat as it melts.
• 40 to 50 minutes for a 1.2 kg piece. With a thermometer: 55 °C in the centre.
• Rest for 10 minutes before carving into 1.5 cm slices against the grain, with a bit of fat on each one.

If the cap isn't as crisp as you'd like, two minutes under the grill at the end sorts it — but don't walk away, it goes from golden to burnt in no time.