Asado recipe

Argentine asado is two hours over low embers with coarse salt as the only seasoning, no marinade and no oil on the meat.

3 hoursmedium11 ingredients

Ingredients

• 2000 g beef short ribs
• 1000 g flank steak
• 6 chorizo criollo
• 3 morcilla
• 3 tbsp coarse salt
• 1 bunch parsley
• 4 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 50 ml red wine vinegar
• 100 ml olive oil

How to make Asado

1. Make the chimichurri first: chop 1 bunch of parsley and 4 garlic cloves, mix with 1 tablespoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 100 ml of olive oil, 50 ml of red wine vinegar and salt, and leave it to macerate for a few hours. This is the only place oil appears in the whole meal.
2. Light hardwood charcoal or quebracho wood on one side of the grill and wait 30 to 40 minutes for grey embers. Never cook over a flame.
3. Rake an even, moderate bed of embers under the grate and set the grate about 25 cm above them. You should be able to hold your hand over it for 5 seconds.
4. Season 2 kg of beef short ribs and 1 kg of flank steak with coarse salt only, just before they go on. No oil and no marinade touch the meat.
5. Start with 6 chorizos and 3 morcillas as the opening course: 20 to 25 minutes for the chorizo, 15 minutes for the morcilla, which only needs heating through.
6. Lay the short ribs bone side down and the flank fat side down. They cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, and that slowness is the whole method.
7. Turn each piece once and only once, when the lower half has visibly cooked through, then finish the second side to a juicy pink centre.
8. Rest briefly, slice across the grain, and serve with the chimichurri on the side as a table condiment, never brushed on during cooking.

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