Asado (if you are a vegetarian you may want to skip this post)

In case you didn't know, a barbeque (of sorts) is called an asado in Argentina. But it is not some kind of throw the steak on the grill then serve with a bunch of sides and a beer kind of thing.   It is an elaborate, many meated affair  in which the meat takes center stage and is eaten over  a length of time  that would be considered extremely long for a meal in the states.   I think it's best to illustrate:

A cousin owns a ranch about 2 hours outside of Buenos Aires. I had been told we were going to an asado there and that a cow and lamb from the farm were to be featured dishes. Imagine my surprise when I arrived to see the following scene at the grill, an entire lamb splayed out and roasting. While we waited for it to cook, we had cured sausage and ham as snacks. I think it would be very difficult to be a vegetarian here. By the third day I was 'hammed out' and could not eat another bite of the stuff, though it was uniformly delicious. I guess I'm just not used to eating so much meat.

Later, they added a pig to the grill. Oh, and there were sausages too, including the dreaded (for me) blood sausage. All were raised and made locally.

The next night we went to another asado in the backyard of another cousin. This was a smaller, less elaborate affair although there were still at least 4 different types of meat involved. There is a picture of that grill below:                                                              

And this was in the first two days. After that, things slowed down on the asado front,though we did go to a very nice parrilla style restaurant in  Mar del Plata about a week later. I ordered chicken. It was very tasty and a nice break from other types of meat.

If anyone has even the most remote interest in finding out more about asado and/or wants to get some ideas and recipes for an asado of their own, they should go to this site.  I hope the  author someday writes a cookbook. In the meantime I will be checking in, collecting recipes and ideas for a future asado of my own.   

Comments

[oneofhismoms]

I love the shot of the dude in the apron behind the roasting pig.

a future asado of your own? MAN, you are more (wo)man than me!