The asado guide

Plan a real Argentinian asado in Sydney.

Cuts, butcher tips, quantities scaled to your guest count, fire timing, and the empanadas every asado needs as a starter. Built in our Bondi Beach kitchen for the Sydney hosts who want to do it properly.

Total time
3 to 4 hours
Meat per guest
360 g (Argentinian)
Fuel
Wood or charcoal
Starter
Empanadas and Malbec

What it is

An asado is not a barbecue.

It is a Sunday institution. The fire is lit hours before anyone eats. The cuts are served in courses. No one reaches for the meat before the asador says it is ready. After two and a half years of cooking asados in Bondi for a community that has become like family, this is the guide we wish someone had handed us when we first started.

The cuts

Five cuts. What to ask for.

Argentinian asado is built around three categories: starters, centrepieces, and an optional opener. You do not need all five. Start with the centrepieces and chorizos, expand as confidence brings appetite.

Centrepiece

Asado de tira

220 g
per guest

Flanken-cut beef short ribs, 3 cm thick. Ask any Sydney butcher for "Korean-style short ribs." Bone-side down first. Salt only after the first turn.

Centrepiece

Vacío

140 g
per guest

Whole flank steak with the fat cap intact. Ask for it untrimmed. Fat-side down first, twenty minutes, then turn for fifteen.

Starter

Chorizo criollo

1 per 2
guests

Fresh, not Spanish-cured. Theo's Cecinas in Fairfield West and Carnes Latinas in Hurlstone Park both stock the proper version.

Optional

Morcilla

1 per 4
guests

Argentinian blood sausage. Polarising for first-time guests, beloved by anyone who knows it. Skip if your guests are unfamiliar.

Opener

Provoleta

2 cm disc
aged provolone

A single disc per 4 to 6 guests. Cast iron pan straight on the embers. Two minutes per side until charred outside, molten inside.

Quantities calculator

How much do you actually need?

Argentinians eat more meat at an asado than most guests expect. The defaults reflect proper Argentinian portions. Adjust the appetite for a lighter or heavier crowd.

8 guests
0 vegetarians
Standard asado, 8 guests
Asado de tira 1.8 kg
Vacío 1.1 kg
Chorizo criollo 4 sausages
Empanadas (starter) 4 packs of 4
Total meat 3.5 kg

A rough guide based on a standard Argentinian asado as the main meal. Round up rather than down. Leftover chorizo always finds a home.

The timing

From fire to plate.

An asado is paced by the fire, not the clock. Work backwards from when you want everyone seated. Light the fire three hours before you plan to plate the main course.

  1. T minus 3 hours

    Light the fire.

    Build a generous wood or quebracho charcoal fire. Hot embers, not flames. Sixty to ninety minutes to settle into white-ashed coals. Start the fire larger than you think you need. You can pull embers aside, but you cannot rush a too-small fire.

  2. T minus 2 hours

    Open the wine. Plate the empanadas.

    First drinks. Hand out a glass of Malbec or chilled white. Put out the empanadas and chimichurri so guests can graze while the fire matures. This is when the asador disappears. Argentinians know not to bother them.

  3. T minus 90 minutes

    Chorizos and morcillas on first.

    Spread the embers under the grill. Place the chorizos and any morcilla. Cook slowly, turning once, for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Served first as their own course with bread, while everything else continues to cook.

  4. T minus 70 minutes

    Provoleta, if you are doing it.

    Aged provolone in a small cast iron pan, directly on the embers. Two minutes per side until charred outside, molten inside. Serve immediately with bread.

  5. T minus 60 minutes

    Asado de tira on the grill.

    Place the short ribs bone-side down. The bones insulate and protect the meat. Cook thirty to forty minutes before turning. Salt only after the first turn, never before.

  6. T minus 35 minutes

    Vacío fat-side down.

    Add the flank fat-side down. The rendering fat protects the lean meat. Twenty minutes one side, then turn for fifteen. Salt after turning.

  7. T minus 10 minutes

    Pull, rest, slice.

    Take everything off the grill. Rest the meat for ten minutes loosely tented under foil. Slice thickly across the grain. Serve in courses, not all at once. Chimichurri goes on the table in a small jug.

  8. Service

    Eat slowly.

    A real asado lasts hours at the table. Do not rush. Bring out cuts as you slice them. Conversation matters as much as the food. End with espresso and dulce de leche if you have it.

What goes on the table

Sides are deliberately simple.

The meat is the star. Anything that competes loses. Five sauces and sides, five drinks. That is the entire spread.

Sauces & sides

  • Chimichurri

    The only essential sauce. Make it twenty-four hours ahead so the flavours marry.

  • Salsa criolla

    Diced tomato, onion, capsicum, red wine vinegar, oil. Sharper and fresher than chimichurri.

  • Mixed leaf salad

    Just lemon and olive oil. Nothing creamy.

  • Crusty bread

    Baguette or pan francés, sliced thick.

  • Roast potatoes

    Optional. Skip if you have empanadas as the starter.

Drinks

  • Malbec

    Mendoza if possible. The classic asado wine. Half a bottle per person is the planning rule.

  • Crisp white

    Torrontés or Sauvignon Blanc for early drinkers.

  • Argentinian beer

    Quilmes if you can find it. Any cold lager works.

  • Sparkling water

    For the table. Always.

  • Espresso, after

    Strong, served with dulce de leche if you have it.

Common questions

Asado FAQs.

How much meat do I need per person at an asado?
Approximately 360 g per adult guest as the main meal. Typically 220 g of short ribs and 140 g of flank, plus a chorizo per two guests as the starter. For lighter eaters or mixed groups with children, scale down by 15 to 20 percent. For an Argentinian crowd, scale up by 20 percent.
How long does an asado take to cook?
Three hours from lighting the fire to plating the main course. The fire needs sixty to ninety minutes to settle into white-ashed embers. Once cooking starts, chorizos take twenty to twenty-five minutes, short ribs sixty minutes, flank thirty-five.
Where can I buy chorizo criollo in Sydney?
Theo's Cecinas Butchery in Fairfield West specialises in South American chorizo, including Argentinian and Colombian varieties. Carnes Latinas Butchery in Hurlstone Park is another excellent source. Spanish Portuguese Butchery in Petersham stocks Argentinian BBQ chorizo with proper hand-chopped meat.
Can I cook an asado on a gas barbecue?
Technically yes, but it will not be a true asado. Gas cannot produce the slow indirect heat of hardwood embers. The flavour profile will be missing the smoke and char that defines the dish. If you cannot build a wood or charcoal fire, our catering team can bring an Argentinian spread to you.
What goes on the table at an Argentinian asado?
Sides are deliberately simple. Chimichurri is the only essential sauce. Add salsa criolla, a mixed leaf salad with lemon and olive oil, and crusty bread. Empanadas serve as the starter while the meat cooks.
What wine pairs with an asado?
Malbec from Mendoza is the classic. Half a bottle per person. Add a crisp white such as Torrontés or Sauvignon Blanc for early drinkers, plus an Argentinian beer such as Quilmes if you can find it.
How many empanadas should I serve before an asado?
Two to three empanadas per guest as the starter. Empanadas are served while the asador tends the fire and guests are arriving. The Chef's Box of 20 covers a group of 8 to 10 with a mix of all five Argentum flavours.
Do I need an Argentinian parrilla?
A traditional parrilla with adjustable grill height is ideal but not essential. Any wood-fired or charcoal grill that lets you spread embers underneath the cooking surface will work. Kettle barbecues, kamado-style cookers, and offset smokers all produce good asado-style results.

The starter

Empanadas, for the wait.

Every asado needs empanadas. The fire takes ninety minutes to settle. The first cuts take another sixty. Argentum empanadas bake from frozen in eighteen to twenty-two minutes, ready when your first guests arrive. The Chef's Box gives you all five flavours.

Shop the Chef's Box

Or skip the fire

Have us cater the asado.

If you would rather host without lighting a fire, our catering team brings the empanadas, salads, and chimichurri to your event. Sydney wide, baked fresh or delivered frozen. We handle the food. You handle the wine and the guests.

Book catering