Posted on 04/19/2026 5:41:19 PM PDT by PJ-Comix
Not only did I have an absolute blast using the barrel extension on my 22 inch Weber grill that converted it into a much larger smoker for the first time but I was amazed that I was able to create bright red picanha. How that happened I am not sure. However, I will attempt to replicate it again next month and most importantly, PULL the picanhas from the Weber when it hits peak red color rather than let it cook for another hour. Although they tasted great and had beautiful reddish smoke rings in the interior, they would have been much juicier with less cooking time. In fact, after reviewing this video I have made the soul searching decision to NOT sear the picanhas next time. They cook so nicely hanging from the top of my Weber that as long as the interior temperature reaches about 135 degrees, searing should be unnecessary.
BTW, I was very happy to see how the snake method of temperature control worked so beautifully. As stated in the video I will be making minor adjustments (and a major one of NOT searing) as I go along. It's all a highly enjoyable barbecue learning experience.
PING!
That would work nice on my Komodo Kamado!
If you can get that red color via the Komodo Kamado then don't sear it in order to preserve the bright red color. Otherwise it will turn it dark maroon. BTW, the hanging picanha I ate at Wild Fork wasn't seared.
Good work!
They look tasty.
I think they came out well-done the way I like it LoL — and I’d prefer the one without garlic — but I understand that’s not ‘gourmet’ or most people’s preferences.
Enjoy Spain! 🇪🇸
looking forward to the followup video once you experiment with temperature. Keep us posted, ok? Nice setup
My allergy ridden vision had me seeing Red Piranha…
Best cut
True that. And the best tasting cut was when I had it at a Wild Fork sampling where they hung whole picanhas over charcoal. However, that picanha wasn't glowing red. Perhaps because it was hung over an open charcoal pit whereas in my case on Saturday, I hung it inside and enclosed smoker. In any event next month I plan to attempt to replicate this with the big difference of pulling it off the Weber at least an hour earlier when the internal temp of the picanha hits over 130 while it is still glowing bright red and skip the searing part. And if the taste of the first picanha I pull indicates it needs it then I will go ahead and sear the second uncut picanha. However, since the Wild Fork picanha which tasted great wasn't seared, I don't think I'll need to do that.
So what I am looking for is the juiciness and taste of the Wild Fork picanhas plus the beautiful presentation of glowing red picanhas. Oh, and I still haven't heard from anyone yet that has ever seen a bright red picanha so the ones I prepared might have been a first (and hopefully not last).
Normally such charcoal will be consumed in the BBQ fire whether you need them or not so using the Snake method not only more effectively provides you the correct levels of heat for the time you need it but it also saves you money by only burning the fuel you need and not any more.
I like it. I’ll try it soon
Yeah, it was really weird. I was very wary of using the snake method because it seemed just too simple and easy. Somehow I thought that the charcoals would just stop burning at some point in the chain and mess up my BBQing. Instead it worked PERFECTLY. So well that I was quite pleasantly surprised.
you have to trim this cut a certain way, otherwise you may cook a very tough strip. It’s easy to trim it out, but you should look it up on youtube on how to trim a picanha steak. Also, I sous vide mine, then when I’m ready to cook them, I take them out and bring them to the temp I want. they won’t be red though.
yeah. Got to sous vie. I hear you.
You're supposed to cut them WITH the grain in strips of about an inch and a half wide. Then you turn those strips and cut them AGAINST the grain as thin as possible. In Portugal last year we had picanha cut so thin it was like it was done by a razor blade. As for sous vide, I was sort of into it for awhle but then the woman who started the whole sous vide craze years ago made an anouncement a couple of years ago in which she disavowed sous vide and now says she prefer more traditional ways of cooking.
As to the picanha again, most cut the picanha first into the strips and then cook it. The way I did it was influenced by my Wild Fork experience where they cooked them whole over and open charcoal pit. However, their picanha was NOT red.
The Queen of cuts!!!!
That’s what the Chuck Yeagar of online chefs, Guga, calls it.
Picanha spinning red.
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