OVERVIEW
The picanha has a large cap of delicious fat on one side. Cooking with the fat-side down in the early stages will help render this fat. The more fat you render out during the indirect cook, the better. When switching to direct cooking to sear the steak, any unrendered fat is likely to flare up the coals.
TEMPER YOUR MEAT
As with all steaks, make sure you take the picanha out of the fridge to temper at least 1 hour before cooking. This will help ensure an even cook throughout the meat. It will also shock the meat less, resulting in a more tender steak.
SET UP YOUR EGG
Set up your EGG for indirect cooking with the ConvEGGtor in place, topped with a Cast Iron Searing Grid. Your target temperature is 120°C-140°C.
Lightly oil the steak all over and season with sea salt.
Place the steak fat-side down in the middle of the grid and close the lid. Keep an eye on the temperature of the EGG and adjust accordingly.
You are aiming for the steak to reach an internal temperature of 48°C-52°C. This should take between 20-30 minutes. Once the core temperature is reached, remove the steak from the EGG and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
REVERSE SEAR YOUR STEAK
Switch to direct heat by removing the ConvEGGtor. Increase the temperature to roughly 300°C.
Place the steak back onto the middle of the grid and close the lid again. Try to cook with the lid closed as much as possible as it will decrease the amount of naked flame and reduce the chances of burning the steak – the heat from the charcoal will be enough to sear the steak’s exterior.
Give the steak 1-2 minutes on each side until nicely coloured all over, then remove from the EGG and leave to rest for a good 10- 15 minutes before carving and serving. Season well with sea salt and black pepper.
