Asado

Asado is both Argentina's way of grilling beef over wood or charcoal embers on a parrilla and the social gathering built around it, seasoned with little more than coarse salt and shared over several hours. It is a method and a tradition rather than one fixed recipe, and often a whole afternoon: an asador tends the fire from mid-morning, and the meal usually starts once the first food comes off the grill.

What it really is

What goes on the grill depends on the host and the occasion. Chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), achuras (offal such as sweetbreads and chinchulines), chimichurri and provoleta are common but optional, and not every asado includes offal or sausages. When they are served, sausages and offal often come first, eaten straight off the grate with bread, and the main cuts follow, though the order varies with cooking times and the host's preference. The beef cooks at different paces: short ribs (asado de tira) cook longer over moderate heat, vacío (flank) is a large piece that can cook a long time over low to moderate heat, and entraña (skirt) is thin and cooks fairly quickly over high heat. Salt is the main seasoning applied before cooking; chimichurri — parsley, garlic, oregano, oil and vinegar — is usually served alongside the grilled meat as a condiment, though it can also be used as a marinade. A parrillada is closely related but not quite the same thing: it usually means a mixed platter of grilled meats.

The fire matters as much as the meat. Wood or charcoal burns down to embers first, and the asador shovels coals under the grate as needed rather than cooking directly over flame — a slower, more even heat a home grill struggles to replicate, and the reason a good parrilla restaurant is judged on its fire as much as its cuts.

How it's served

• Often in stages, with sausages and offal first and the main cuts after, though the order varies with cooking times and the host's preference.
• Straight off a wood or charcoal parrilla, cut into rustic pieces rather than plated portions.
• With chimichurri as a condiment and little else besides: bread, a simple salad, red wine.

How to write it on the menu

• List it by cut (asado de tira, entraña, vacío) rather than one generic "asado" line — regulars order by cut.
• Note whether chimichurri is house-made or bought in, since not every kitchen makes its own.
• Flag that a full asado is meant for sharing; offer a single-cut option so solo diners can order sensibly.
• Plain beef and salt carry none of the 14 EU allergens, but check the extras component by component: chorizo and morcilla (may contain milk, gluten, soy or other additives depending on the product), chimichurri (bought sauces may contain mustard or sulphites) and bread (wheat/gluten); provoleta is cheese, so declare milk if it is served.