Picanha Steak from the Wood Fired Oven
In our latest wood fired video, David is grilling a picanha steak – a delicious and not so well known steak (in the UK) from the top of the rump or the end of the sirloin. The name comes from the picana, the pole the gauchos in South America use to move the cattle along by prodding them in their behinds.You may have to ask your butcher specially to cut it for you and some online retailers like Pipers Farm will supply it.
Our Latest Wood Fired Video
Have a look at the video here and do let us know how you get on
Ingredients – to feed 4
1 picanha steak, about 1kg in weight
600g potatoes
4 medium beetroot
4 medium turnips
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Mesquite & Oak chunks soaked in water – or whatever flavour you’d like
Oven State, Door, Equipment etc
3 Mississippi with a bed of embers
1 roasting tin and 3-4 flat metal skewers
Method
- Wash, drain & roughly chop the vegetables.
Veggeis ready to go
- Put them in a large bowl and toss together with a good slug of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
- Put the veggies in the roasting tin and start to cook them in the oven with the door ajar.
- Prepare the steak by slicing it into 3-4 equal sized pieces across the joint. Rub with olive oil and season well. Make the mini steaks into horseshoes with the fat on the outside and skewer each one.
- Put the soaked and drained wooden chunks on top of the embers using a peel. Allow them to come up to heat and start to smoke.
- Rest the skewers on the roasting tin with the fat side up.
- Put the roasting tin back in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes, turning half way round.
- Rest the meat for 5 minutes and slice.
- Serve with the roast roots, some chimichurri sauce and some mayo and some fresh salad
Alternatives
- If you’re not confident of your steak cooking, use a probe thermometer to make sure it’s the done-ness you want.
- Add some cumin to the seasoning for the steak or maybe some barbeque spice blend.
- Change the veggies – roast carrots are delcious as are roast peppers or some roast tomatoes
- Cook the picanha whole like a roasting joint rather than in smaller steaks
Wine Suggestion
- Try a big wine with lots of flavour like this Stellenbosch blend
