Argentine barbecue: beef cuts (bife de chorizo, vacio, asado de tira, mollejas, chorizo, morcilla) cooked slowly over wood embers in a parrilla. Sliced thick, salted simply, served with chimichurri and Malbec.

Asado descends from the gaucho campfire of the 1800s Pampas, when cattle herders skewered whole animals on a metal cross over open coals. The urban parrilla restaurant arrived with the late 1800s European immigration boom; by the 1920s every Buenos Aires barrio had one. Today the parrilla is the country's defining national meal, eaten weekly across class lines, with Pablo Rivero's Don Julio in Palermo reaching #1 on Latin America's 50 Best in 2020 and again in 2024.

Where to eat Asado in Buenos Aires

6 editor picks for Asado in Buenos Aires, ranked by editorial score. All Buenos Aires signature dishes · Asado across every city.

Make it at home

Serves 43 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 bife de chorizo steaks, 400g each, 4cm thick
  • 1 kg short ribs (asado de tira), cut crosswise
  • 4 chorizo sausages
  • 2 morcillas (blood sausages)
  • 200g sweetbreads (mollejas), trimmed
  • Coarse sea salt
  • Hardwood charcoal or quebracho wood
  • For chimichurri: 1 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 60ml red wine vinegar
  • 120ml olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Method

  1. Build a fire with hardwood charcoal or quebracho wood. Let it burn down to glowing embers, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Spread embers under the grill.
  2. Make chimichurri: mix parsley, garlic, oregano, chili, vinegar, oil and salt. Let stand 30 minutes for flavors to meld.
  3. Start with the sausages: place chorizo and morcilla on the grill over medium embers. Cook 15-20 minutes turning occasionally until skin is crisp and charred.
  4. Add short ribs bone-side down. Cook slowly over moderate heat, 45 minutes per side, until deeply browned and tender.
  5. Salt the bife de chorizo steaks generously with coarse sea salt. Place over hotter coals, sear 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Rest 5 minutes.
  6. Sweetbreads last: blanch first in salted water 3 minutes, drain. Grill over moderate heat 8-10 minutes turning until golden.
  7. Slice steaks against the grain, plate everything family-style. Serve with chimichurri and crusty bread.

Editor tip. The fire takes longer than the meat. Build it 90 minutes before you want to eat. Never use lighter fluid; the taste persists.