What is Asado?
In Spanish, "asado" means "roasting" or "grilling" over a fire or in the oven. Generally, when we talk about asado, we are talking about meats grilled over a wood fire. As with barbecue, in South America, asado refers to both the cooking method and the convivial moment during which guests enjoy grilled meats.
The Argentinian Asado Ritual
Let's just say that Asado is the Argentinian national dish! And even though it is a method of cooking grilled meat over a fire, asado is not a classic barbecue. Argentina is one of the leading beef-producing countries in the world, and also a major consumer, so beef is the preferred meat for asado.
1. The asador, king of the barbecue
As a true ritual, when organizing an asado, it is appropriate to designate an « asador ». Indeed, these people – often self-proclaimed – who are meat cooking specialists, take everything in hand from A to Z. They manage the fire and the cooking in order to ensure that the meat is cooked to perfection, that is to say, well grilled on the outside and tender on the inside.
Making the asado fire is an art. When it takes place in the countryside, wood is used, mainly hardwoods. If it takes place in the city, charcoal is used. To find out more about woods and charcoals, our guide to choosing them well will enlighten you.
2. The asado cooking method
The asado is cooked over coals, which the asador distributes under the grills, with the meat placed higher up than in our traditional barbecues.
For a similar result, we suggest theStainless steel grid extension which can be superimposed on your traditional kamado grill.
Cooking is then gentler and does not attack the meat. It gives the fat time to nourish the meat, making it tender and juicy without drying it out, just like the American BBQ tradition. Asado cooking is slow: 2, 3 or 4 hours depending on the weight of the pieces. Indeed, unlike our barbecues, in Argentina, the pieces of meat are kept whole, and some even weigh several kilos.
Among the favorite cuts are rib steak, sirloin, hanger steak, flank and skirt steak. But like picanha in the Portuguese barbecue tradition, the cuts of beef are not cut exactly the same way as in France. Other meats are also cooked on the Argentinian barbecue, such as lamb and kid. In this case, they are cooked vertically, skewered.
Here are some of our beef barbecue recipe ideas:
Tournedos with béarnaise sauce
Marinated beef picanha cooked on lava stone
Beef hanger steak with yakitori sauce
Prime rib
For equipment, you can use the Plancha cast-iron griddle to mark meats and cook them evenly.
You can also choose our cast-iron grate for professional cooking, or replace your stainless steel grate.
And why not invest in a stainless steel meat fork and Kokko leather gloves?
All essential accessories to optimize your moments around the fire!
The famous Chimichurri sauce
Asado meat is often accompanied by a condiment called Chimichurri which can also be used as a marinade. This sauce consists of a mixture of garlic, parsley, coriander, bay leaves, red pepper, wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. You can add oregano, thyme, lemon and even tomato and pepper according to your tastes. During cooking, the meat is brushed with this spicy sauce to make it even more tender.
What to serve with an Asado?
Vegetables are rare in the tradition of Argentinian asado! However, you can add potatoes, grilled peppers, or a mixed salad: green salad, tomatoes, onion and hard-boiled eggs.
To accompany these superb barbecue meat dishes, we recommend some wine pairings that will go perfectly with them!
