How to Eat Your Way Around an Argentinian Asado

What is an Asado?

An asado is about two things – food and family. Drive through any neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon, and you’ll see generations of family and friends gathering for the weekly feast. At the center of the asado is the parrilla, where pounds and pounds of meat slow cook over wood or lump charcoal.

Notice I said slow cooked. This doesn’t mean you are entitled to show up when the meat comes off the parrilla, unless you want to be tossed on the hot charcoals yourself. An asado, which can last over 6 hours, is more about the people than the succulent, finger-licking meat.

I know, I know. In a society where we take more pictures of food than people this concept may seem foreign – that camaraderie should be enjoyed in person and not via hashtagged food posts on Instagram.

Who wants to grill alone anyway? While the meat is grilling, picadas, plates of cheeses and sausages are passed to fend off the hunger pangs. The aroma of grilled meat pumps through the air, and toasts are offered to the parrillero (grill master).

Cristóbal Alvarado Minic