You finally got your toys. What a great collection of cooks.
On the picanha, the mushrooms on the pan probably prevented the temperature from getting high enough. I usually get better results by cooking it direct. Get the charcoal in the middle raging hot and without the rotisserie riser, sear the meat for about 2-4 minutes by manually rotating the spit. Place the spit back on the riser and finish cooking with the lid cracked open.