The Coulotte steak is not a very well-known steak but it should be. I think it is a great steak and people should know what it is.
Coulotte steak is well-marbled, and tender, and comes from the top sirloin subprimal. The top sirloin subprimal comes from the loin primal of the cow. Coulotte steak is a well-known and popular steak in Brazilian steakhouses where it is skewered like a shrimp and cooked.
Coulotte steak can be very delicious because it usually has a nice thick fat strip on the top. It is one steak that should be more popular and you are gonna find out why.
What is another name for a coulotte steak?
The coulotte steak is the name that butchers usually use for the steak and they also may use the name top sirloin cap steak. Many people also call it fat cap or rump cap. The coulotte steak is the same as the picanha which is the name that is famous in Brazil because it is popular in Brazilian steakhouses.
You may have never heard of Coulotte steak because it goes by so many different names.
Is coulotte steak the same as top sirloin?
Coulotte steak is not the same as top sirloin steak but it comes from the same part of the cow. If you buy a full top sirloin steak the coulotte steak will be a part of the steak. It will be on the steak as the top sirloin cap.
Below is a picture of a full top sirloin steak, it is the same one that I had with me in the picture at the beginning of the post. The first picture is of me showing you the coulotte steak. You can notice that it looks like it’s the cap on the steak.
The second picture is of me showing you the rest of the top sirloin steak which is the top sirloin center cut. A lot of times you will see a top sirloin steak with just the center cut without the cap.
The Coulotte is usually together with the center in a full top sirloin, this may be another reason you haven’t heard of Coulotte. Top sirloin comes from the loin primal or the sirloin subprimal.
Are coulotte steaks tender?
A Coulotte steak is a tender steak. It comes from a muscle in cattle that is less used which makes it tender. It is also well-marbled with streaks of fat running through it. This makes it juicy and flavorful along with it being tender.
Even though Coulotte steak is tender and well-marbled, it is still considered a lean steak. It usually comes with a nice fat cap on one side of the steak but you can cut that off or not eat it if you like. I encourage you to eat it because it is full of nutrients, and collagen, and it is delicious with enough salt.
Can you grill a coulotte steak?
Coulotte steaks are best when they are grilled. Although they are lean, they have a good amount of marbling in the steak to keep them juicy. They won’t overcook that easily but you still want to be careful.
Once you overcook a steak, it becomes dry and can get chewy. You run the risk of overcooking a Coulotte steak because it is more of a lean steak. So, the best thing for you to do is to keep that in mind when you are cooking it and that it may be more done than it looks. Plus, the steak will continue to cook a little once you let it rest.
What does coulotte steak taste like?
The Coulotte steak has a juicy and beefy flavor that is similar to the rest of the top sirloin. This is because it is a lean piece of steak with good marbling. The fat strip on the side makes it taste good. It makes it extra tender and juicy because fat is where most of the juice and flavor come from in a steak. I have a picture of the fat strip on the coulotte below.
What is coulotte steak used for?
In Brazilian steakhouses, Coulotte steak is used as a main dish for Brazilian churrasco barbecue. It would not be a true Brazilian steakhouse if they did not have Coulotte or what is called picanha.
When Brazilian steakhouses cook Coulotte, the lay the steak flat, fold it, and put it on a skewer. They then cook it that way, it’s pretty cool if you haven’t seen it then you should.
How to cook a coulotte steak?
It is best to grill, broil, or pan-fry a Coulotte steak. You can marinate it in fruit for those enzymes to make it extra tender if you like. I do recommend this on sirloin steak because it is lean.
Every time I eat sirloin no matter if I cook it or someone else does, I just feel like it gets chewy and dried out. That’s why I like to marinate it.
I recommend using a good amount of salt on the steak to really bring out that umami flavor and make it delicious as well. You can also check out a post I made about what makes steak taste better here.
Conclusion
Coulotte should be a lot more popular than it is because it is a fantastic steak. It has plenty of tenderness and marbling. Surely it can compete with some of the more popular steaks such as ribeye or t-bone. I love the fat strip that usually comes on this steak because it is so delicious.
You can check out my other posts about porterhouse vs t-bone here or prime rib and ribeye here.