Recipe

Grilled Tropical Picaña with Caramelized Fruits and Cuban Sides

Name: Grilled Tropical Picaña with Caramelized Fruits and Cuban Sides
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 220 min
Ingredients: 1 picanha (picaña) of 1.2 to 1.5 kg, with its fat cap; 1 tablespoon coarse salt or grill salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon neutral oil (optional); Wedges of criollo lime or key lime, to serve (optional); Charcoal for the grill (or gas grill); 6 slices of fresh pineapple about 2 cm thick, peeled and without the hard core; 2 firm but ripe mangoes, in cheeks or large wedges; 2 firm bananas, cut lengthwise with their skin on; 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon melted butter or a drizzle of neutral oil; 1 tablespoon criollo lime or key lime juice; 1 pinch of cinnamon (optional); 300 g dried black beans; About 2 liters of water; 1 small chopped onion; ½ green pepper chopped; 3 crushed garlic cloves; 2 tablespoons oil; 1 bay leaf; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon dried oregano; 1 tablespoon vinegar or lime juice; 2 tablespoons dry wine (optional); Salt and pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon of salt); 2 cups long-grain rice (360-400 g); 3 to 3½ cups water; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon oil; 2 green plantains

Charcoal-grilled picanha with a marked crust, caramelized tropical fruits, and the best of the Cuban table: rice, black beans, and chicharritas.

CiberCubaNovember 6, 2026

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Preparation40 min
Cooking3 h
Total time3 h 40 min
Servings6 servings (4 if they are big eaters)
DifficultyMedium

The Brazilian picanha, which in Miami and Florida you will see as picaña or pichaña, is the top of the beef rump. It is recognized by its thick layer of fat, which on the grill browns and bastes the meat while it roasts. In Brazil, it is the queen of churrasco, and in the butchers' shops and grills of southern Florida, it has become a favorite cut for many Cuban families.

This recipe is not a traditional dish of any country. It is a Brazilian-Cuban fusion: the picaña is grilled with the simple technique of the grill, seasoned only with coarse salt and pepper. It is accompanied by pineapple, mango, and bananas marked on the coals, with a final touch of brown sugar. Alongside are the home-style sides: white rice, very creamy soaked black beans, and thin, crispy green plantain chicharritas.

It is a dish for a family Sunday or a summer afternoon in the patio, with the grill lit and everyone waiting for the first slice.

Method

Black beans

The day before, wash the black beans and soak them in plenty of cold water for 8 to 12 hours.
Drain them, cover with fresh water (about 2 liters) and cook over low heat until they are completely tender. They take from 75 to 120 minutes depending on the grain; in a pressure cooker it is less, so follow your pot's instructions. Add hot water if necessary so they never dry out and reserve their broth.
In a skillet, heat the oil and sauté the onion and ají over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano and sauté for 1 more minute, without burning the garlic.
Pour the sofrito into the pot with the beans and enough broth to cover them. Add the bay leaf and, if you like, the dry wine. Let them cook over low heat, without rushing, for 20 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally so they do not stick. Mash a tablespoon of beans against the side of the pot to thicken. Adjust the salt and pepper and finish with the vinegar. They must be very creamy, with thick broth, never dry or refried.
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White rice

Wash the rice if you wish. Put it in a pot with the water, oil, and salt and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat to minimum and let it cook gently for 15 to 18 minutes, or according to the variety. Let it rest covered for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.

Picaña

While preparing the grill, take the picanha out of the fridge, but do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Dry it very well with paper towels. Leave the fat cap; if it is too thick, trim only the excess and leave about 1 cm. Make shallow diamond-shaped cuts on the fat, without reaching the meat. Season all sides with coarse salt and pepper.
Prepare the grill in two zones: concentrate the coals on one side to sear and leave the other side without coals for indirect heat. On a gas grill, leave one burner high and the other low or off.
Place the whole picanha on the hot zone, first on the fat side. Watch for flare-ups caused by dripping and move the piece if they intensify. When the fat is golden, sear the other side and the edges until you get a dark, well-marked crust, without burning it.
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Move the picanha to the indirect heat zone with the fat facing up, cover the grill and cook to your preferred doneness. Measure with a thermometer in the thickest part (you have the terms in the notes). The time depends on each grill and the thickness of the piece, so trust the thermometer and not the clock. Remember that the official safety recommendation is 63 °C and 3 minutes of resting.
Remove it from the grill and let it rest for 8 to 10 minutes on the board, covered loosely with aluminum foil.

Grilled fruits

While the meat finishes or rests, clean the grate well. Brush the pineapple and mango very lightly with butter and grill them over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until they have well-defined marks. Grill the bananas with their skin on, first on the cut face for 2 to 3 minutes, and then on the skin for another 2 to 3 minutes. If you have a fine grate or a grill pan suitable for grilling, use it for the bananas. Do not let them turn into puree.
Move the fruits to a moderate heat zone, with the marked faces up. Sprinkle them with brown sugar and, if you like, a pinch of cinnamon. Leave them for 30 to 60 seconds, just until the sugar melts and caramelizes, without burning. Drizzle with lime juice. The pieces should remain whole and well-defined.

Chicharritas

Peel the green plantains: cut the ends, slit the skin lengthwise and remove it. Cut them into very thin slices, 1 to 2 mm, preferably with a mandoline and guard. Dry them well with a cloth.
Heat the oil to 170-180 °C. Fry the slices in batches, without crowding them, for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and almost stop bubbling. Drain on paper and salt immediately. They are thin and crispy chicharritas, not tostones. If you organize yourself, you can fry them while the picanha finishes on indirect heat.
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To serve

Cut the picanha into thin slices, perpendicular to the grain, so that each one carries its edge of golden fat.
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Plate the picanha slices alongside the pineapple, mango, and caramelized plantain fruit; you can remove the skin from the plantain or serve it in it. Add a portion of white rice, the black beans on the side or in a separate bowl, and a handful of chicharritas. Accompany with lime wedges and serve immediately.

Tips and variations

Cooking terms (internal temperature in the thickest part). These figures are references for texture and color, not safety. The temperature may continue to rise by 2-3 °C during resting. If you follow the official safety recommendation, check with a thermometer that 63 °C was actually reached; do not assume that minimum based solely on residual heat increase.

Rare: 50-52 °C. Red center and very juicy.
Medium rare: 54-57 °C. Intense pink center. This is the doneness that looks best in picanha.
Medium: 60-63 °C. Pale pink.
Well done: about 70 °C. No trace of pink and firmer.

Safety warning. For whole cuts of beef, the official USDA recommendation is to reach a minimum internal temperature of 63 °C (145 °F) and let it rest for 3 minutes before cutting. Eating meat below that temperature implies a higher risk, especially for children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. That the outside is well marked does not mean the inside is cooked: always use a thermometer.

Confusing names. Picanha, picaña, and pichaña are the same cut. The banana is grilled with the fruits. The green plantain is for chicharritas: do not substitute it with a ripe one, as it would not be crispy.

Steak variant. If you prefer, cut the picanha into 3-4 cm steaks along the grain before grilling. This way they sear on both sides and finish faster. Guide yourself with the thermometer and then slice them against the grain.

Organize. Slow-cooked black beans are better if you make them the day before. Chicharritas stay crispy for a couple of hours uncovered. Leave the meat and fruits for the last moment.

Storage. Leftover meat is kept in the fridge, well covered, for up to 3 days. Beans last 4 days in the fridge and can also be frozen. Grilled fruits and chicharritas are best eaten on the same day.