The Ultimate Whole Picanha on the Ninja FlexFlame

Lightly season the whole picanha all over with kosher salt, then place it uncovered in the fridge overnight. This gives the salt time to work its way into the meat, helping it stay better seasoned all the way through. It also improves moisture retention and dries the surface slightly, which sets you up for a much better crust later on.

Remove the picanha from the fridge about 1 hour before cooking. Letting it warm slightly helps it cook more evenly from edge to centre. Throwing it on fridge-cold can lead to thicker grey bands, slower fat rendering, and a less even finish.

Using a sharp knife, score the fat cap in a cross-hatch pattern, making diamonds roughly 1-1.5 cm wide. Only cut through the fat, not into the meat. This helps the seasoning get into the fat, increases the surface area, and allows the fat cap to render more evenly without shrinking up like it’s had a fright.

Rub coarse salt directly into the scored fat cap. This boosts flavour and helps pull moisture from the surface, which encourages better crisping during the final sear. Keep it simple here because the fat is already doing plenty of heavy lifting in the flavour department.

Coat the meat side and edges evenly with FOURGE FIRE BBQ Rub. Leave the fat cap mostly as salted fat rather than covering it heavily in rub. That’s the smart play, because when that fat starts rendering over high heat, too much rub on the fat side can catch and scorch.

Insert a temperature probe into the thickest part of the meat, aiming for the centre of the thickest muscle. With a whole picanha, internal temperature matters more than guesswork. This cut rewards precision, so don’t go cowboy on it.

Set the Ninja FlexFlame to SMOKE mode at 115°C and fill the pellet hopper with All Purpose blend pellets. This lower temperature gives you gentle heat, steady smoke, and enough time for the fat to start rendering without hammering the outside too early.

Put the picanha in the centre of the grill with the fat cap facing down. On the FlexFlame, the centre burner stays inactive in SMOKE mode, which creates a nice indirect zone. Because the heat source sits closer to the grate than some other BBQs, the fat cap works like a built-in shield and protects the meat side while it cooks.

Close the lid and cook the picanha until the internal temperature reaches 52-53°C. This slow stage is where the smoke flavour builds, the fat starts softening, and the meat cooks evenly. Pulling it at this point gives you room for the final sear and carryover cooking without overshooting the doneness.

Take the picanha off the grill and switch the FlexFlame to GRILL mode at around 270°C. Let it fully preheat before the meat goes back on. This is the temperature sweet spot for building crust, crisping the fat, and caramelising the rub without turning the whole thing into a flare-up festival.

Place the picanha back on the grill, starting again with the fat cap down. Sear for 60-90 seconds until the fat is sizzling, blistering, and taking on colour. Flip it over and sear the meat side for another 45-60 seconds. Rotate as needed to dodge hot spots. Your final internal temperature should land around 56-58°C for a juicy pink centre.

Remove the picanha from the grill and rest it for 10-12 minutes. This gives the juices time to settle back into the meat and lets the carryover heat finish the job gently. Slice too early and all that lovely juice ends up on the board instead of in your gob.

First, slice the picanha with the grain into thick steaks. Then turn those steaks and slice against the grain into serving pieces. This two-stage slicing method shortens the muscle fibres and makes each bite far more tender. Don’t skip this bit, because even perfectly cooked picanha can eat chewy if you carve it wrong.

For an extra hit of flavour, give the sliced meat a light dusting of FOURGE FIRE rub just before serving. The heat from the meat lifts the aroma and gives you a fresh pop of spice right at the finish.