ASADO

'Asado' is cuts of meat, usually beef, which are cooked on a grill (''parrilla'') or open fire. Asado is quite popular in the Pampa region of South America, and it is the traditional dish of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and the Southern States of Brazil. Asado is also a dish in the Philippines and it differs from the Latin American version because instead of grilling, the beef is cooked in a sweet tomato-based stew that is usually accompanied by potatoes, carrots and other vegetables.
In Brazil, asado is called ''churrasco'', and although the method of cooking is similar, it is seasoned with Brazilian spices. Charcoal is predominantly used instead of embers of wood, and Brazilians tend to cook the meat on skewers. In some places, the meat is seasoned with salt and a bit of sugar.
An Argentine asado typically has a sequence of meats presented by the 'asador' (the cook). First are the ''chorizos'', ''morcillas'' (black pudding), ''chinchulines'' (chitterlings), ''mollejas'' (sweetbread) and other organs, often accompanied by ''provoleta'', a grilled cheese dish. Sometimes these are served on a coal-heated brasero. Then ''costillas'' or ''asado de tira'' (ribs) are served. Next comes ''vacío'' (flank steak), ''matambre'' and possibly chicken and ''chivito'' (baby goat). Dishes such as the Uruguayan Pamplona, pork and Patagonian lamb are becoming more frequent, particularly in restaurants. An asado also includes bread, a simple mixed salad of, for instance, lettuce, tomato and onions, or it could be accompanied with ''verdurajo'' (grilled vegetables), a mixture made of potatoes, corn, onion and eggplant cooked on the parrilla and seasoned with olive oil and salt. Beer, wine, soda and other beverages are common. Dessert is usually fresh fruit.
An asado can be made ''al asador'' or ''a la parrilla''. In the first case a fire is made on the ground or in a fire pit and surrounded by metal crosses (''asadores'') that hold the entire carcass of an animal splayed open to receive the heat from the fire. In the second case, a fire is made and after the coals have formed, a grill (parrilla) is placed over with the meat to be cooked.
Another traditional form to mainly roast the meat, used in the Argentine and Chilean Patagonias, is with the whole animal (specially lamb and pork) in a wood stick nailed in the ground and exposed to the heat of live coals, called ''asado al palo''.
The meat for an asado is not marinated, the only preparation being the application of salt before and/or during the cooking period. Also, the heat and distance from the coals are controlled to provide a slow cooking; it usually takes around 2 hours to cook an asado. Further, grease from the meat is not encouraged to fall on the coals and create smoke which would adversely flavor the meat, indeed in some asados the area directly under the meat is kept clear of coals.
The asado is usually placed in a tray to be immediately served, but it can also be placed on a brasero right on the table to keep the meat warm. ''Chimichurri'', a sauce of tomato, bell pepper, garlic, parsley, lemon, oil and vinegar, or ''salsa criolla'', a sauce of tomato and onion in vinegar, are common accompaniments to an asado, where they are traditionally used on the offal, but not the steaks. In Chile it is usually accompanied with ''pebre'', a local condiment made from pureed herbs, garlic and hot peppers.

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See also

External links

See also

★ Cuisine of Argentina

★ Argentine beef

External links

★ Sample recipe from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

★ Asado Argentina

★ The Carnivorous Country

★ Café Columbus This article is half in Spanish, half in English.

★ From Uruguay - Asado (English)