Tips for a proper Argentine asado

An Argentine asado isn't a cooking technique: it's a social ritual. You cook slowly, you eat in stages, and the conversation afterwards lasts longer than the meal. This guide is for you — someone who didn't grow up next to a parrilla and wants to get a real asado right, with the right cuts, the right fire and no rush.

How much meat should I buy?

The classic rule: 400 to 500 g of meat per adult, chorizos and achuras included. If there are plenty of sides or a starter, 350–400 g is enough. Half that for children. Better too much than too little — cold asado the next day is a classic in its own right.

The cuts of a classic asado

• To open: chorizo criollo and morcilla (and a provoleta if you want to show off).
• Achuras: mollejas, chinchulines — optional, but they're the signature of an Argentine asado.
• The main event: tira de asado or banderita, vacío and entraña. With two of those three you already have a serious asado.
• To go bigger: a bife de chorizo or ojo de bife for anyone who wants their own steak.

The fire: the part that scares people most (and the simplest)

You cook over embers, never over flames. Light the charcoal 45–60 minutes before the first meat goes on: when the embers are grey outside and red inside, they're ready. Spread them under the grill and keep feeding fresh embers from a side fire as the asado goes on.

You don't need a thermometer to judge the heat: hold your palm at grill height and count the seconds you can stand it before pulling away:

• 3–4 seconds: high heat — for steaks, entraña and quick searing.
• 5–6 seconds: medium heat — chorizos, achuras, picaña.
• 7–8 seconds: low heat — vacío, thick tira and everything that goes slow.

The order and the timings

An asado is served in stages, and that organises the grill by itself:

• From minute zero, on the cool side: vacío (60–90 min) and thick tira (50–60 min). Last to be served, first to go on.
• First round to the table (20–25 min): chorizos and morcillas, with bread for the choripán.
• Second round: achuras — mollejas and chinchulines.
• Third round: banderita or thin tira, entraña, steaks — the quick cuts over high heat.
• To finish: the vacío and the thick tira, landing exactly on point.

Common mistakes on a first asado

• Cooking over flames “to speed things up”: charred outside, raw inside.
• Piercing the meat or the chorizos with a fork: the juices run out. Always use tongs.
• Turning the meat twenty times. On an asado each piece is turned once (chorizos are the exception).
• Cutting without resting: 5 minutes of rest keeps the juice inside.
• Rushing the vacío or the thick tira over high heat. Slow is slow; that's the whole point.

What to serve alongside

Chimichurri (never on the grill: it goes on the plate), simple salads — mixed or criolla —, good bread and a Malbec. An Argentine asado doesn't need elaborate sauces or twenty side dishes: the meat is the star.