How Argentinians BBQ: the asado tradition explained

An asado is not a barbecue. It is a Sunday ritual, a full afternoon slowly organised around a fire, an unspoken sequence of meats, several bottles of Malbec and enough conversation to make everyone late for whatever is on Monday. Here is how it actually goes.

What an asado actually is

Skip the chopping

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An asado is a slow grilled meat lunch, but the word covers more than the food. It is the gathering, the day, the ritual, the person who cooks (the asador) and the grill itself (also called a parrilla). Asado is the closest thing Argentina has to a national religious practice.

The centrality is real. Argentinian families do an asado most Sundays. Colleagues do them for celebrations. Neighbours do them to fight over football. It is the default answer to 'what should we do this weekend'.

The fire (this is the whole game)

The single most important skill in asado is fire management. Argentinians build the fire in a separate area of the grill (the brasero), let it burn down to embers, then shovel embers under the meat as needed. The meat almost never sits over live flame.

Fuel

• Hardwood. Traditional. Quebracho is the Argentinian standard (Australian equivalents: red gum, iron bark). Adds flavour and burns hot.
• Hardwood charcoal. Widely used, especially in cities. Less flavour than wood but faster to establish embers.
• Never briquettes. Chemical accelerants and additives are anathema.

Timing the fire

You want a bed of glowing embers, not flames. Build the fire an hour before you plan to cook. When flames die down and coals are covered in grey ash, they are ready. Test with your hand held 15cm above the grill. 3 to 4 second comfortable = right temperature.

The meat sequence

Argentinian asado is not a random pile of protein on a grill. It follows an order.

The main cuts explained

Asado de tira (short rib, cross cut)

The king of the asado. Beef short ribs cut across the bone into strips 3 to 4cm wide. Cooked bone side down first, low and slow, for 90 minutes. Never turned more than once. Salted only, sometimes with a light chimichurri after cooking.

Matambre

Thin cut of beef from between the flank and the skin. Often stuffed and rolled (matambre relleno) or cooked flat and topped with cheese and tomato (matambre a la pizza). Sweet, rich, tender if cooked right.

Entrana (skirt steak)

Intensely beefy, thin cut. High heat, quick sear (5 minutes each side). Sliced against the grain. A favourite of professional asadores because it is fast and always excellent.

Vacio (flank)

Grainy, deeply beefy, gets a crust from the fat cap. Cook fat side down for 20 minutes, then flip for another 15. Slice against the grain in thick strips.

Chorizo and morcilla

Argentinian chorizo is fresh (not cured), pork based, mildly spiced. Grill whole, then split lengthwise and place in a crusty roll with chimichurri. This is choripan, the traditional asado opener. Morcilla is blood sausage, richer, spread on bread with a spoon.

The sides (kept simple on purpose)

Asado is about the meat. Sides are functional, not decorative.

• Ensalada mixta. Lettuce, tomato, onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar. That is it.
• Bread. A basket of crusty white bread, for choripan and mopping.
• Provoleta. Grilled provolone cheese with oregano, sometimes chilli. Served bubbling on a small cast iron dish.
• Chimichurri. Parsley, garlic, oregano, red wine vinegar, olive oil, chilli flakes. Served in a small bowl for diners to spoon themselves. Never poured over.

Base chimichurri recipe

Combine 1 cup finely chopped parsley, 4 cloves crushed garlic, 2 tsp dried oregano, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 100ml olive oil, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tsp salt. Rest 1 hour. Keeps a week in the fridge. Or grab a jar of our Argentum chimichurri.

The drinks

• Malbec. The default and the correct answer. See our Malbec guide for what to buy in Sydney.
• Fernet with Coke. Argentina's national cocktail after Malbec. Herbal Italian amaro (60ml) topped with Coke (180ml), plenty of ice. See our Fernet guide.
• Sparkling water. Between rounds. Argentinians drink a lot of it.
• Beer. Common at younger asados, especially Quilmes if you can find it (rare in Sydney).

The timing

How is asado different from Aussie BBQ

• Meat sequence, not a platter. Argentinian asado paces the meat over hours. Aussie BBQ tends to cook everything at once.
• No sauces beyond chimichurri. No BBQ sauce, no tomato relish, no marinades (mostly). Salt is the main seasoning.
• Wood or charcoal, not gas. Gas asado exists but is looked down upon.
• Low and slow, no lid. Argentinian grills are open. Meat cooks by radiant heat from below.
• All beef, some pork. Chicken and seafood are rare. Vegetables minimal.

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