Since that trip to Argentina, I’ve learned to love wood as a cooking medium. In the US, wood is too often overlooked, though some have learned to love it. Barbecue pit masters, for example, have learned that a combination of hardwoods and fruitwoods can complement different meats for smoking. Wood alone can contribute a great deal of flavor. Its wonderful taste can nearly saturate the meat in a pulled pork barbecue. But in South America, the subtle smoke taste of open air grilling is preferred.

Argetine (Uruguayan) Parrilla.

I still prefer the Argentine (or Uruguayian) method of grilling. Cooking with wood in an open fire feels more primal and natural than gas or charcoal. You never see propane tanks growing in nature, and most charcoal is so full of chemicals that any resemblance to wood has long been removed. The spit and crackle of wood burning, embers glowing, and smoke rising is where the real magic of grilling lies.

So if you haven’t tried grilling with wood, try it soon. Check the NYT article or my Argentine Asado post for some tips.

The NYT article mentions the celebrated Argentine Chef, Francis Mallmann, a few times. I was fortunate enough to dine at one of this restaurants, 1884, near Mendoza. I can attest that the meals prepared on the parrilla were exceedingly simple in their preparation. Mallmann may have allowed himself to experiment with extravagant preparations in the kitchen, but once in front of the grill, the classic asado methods prevailed.

Most Argentine meats are generally lightly seasoned and served with a chimichurri sauce. The meat is often not even marinated before it is grilled. Argentines know that good quality meat doesn’t need frivolous additions. Salt, pepper, and perhaps a simple, fresh sauce, like the chimichurri, is all that is needed.

Street Asado (click for bigger image)

I quickly learned that beef is king here. Parrilla restaurants are everywhere. I even came across a guy in the street grilling out on the sidewalk. Not even in a restaurant or anything–he was just making lunch. (See after the jump for the photo of this guy’s lunch—Bonus points to anyone who can name all the meats in the Street Asado.)
And it’s not just beef that is popular, anything that can be grilled is fair game. All kinds of animals–goat, lamb, cow, pig, poultry, fowl–, vegetables and fruits are all options for an Argentine in front of a parrilla.

I would like to introduce you to the Argentine way of grilling, the asado.

Asado

Everyone has seen the round Weber Grills used in the US. These are perfectly capable machines and can grill a good steak, but the Argentines have a method that I prefer. I always seem to have a problems grills in the US. I feel that I cannot regulate the heat as much as I would like and adding more coals to a lit grill is always an issue. The resourceful Argentines of course figured out a way around this by using a multistage process and an open cooking area.

Some terminology and a disclaimer first. The ‘parrilla’ is the physical grill and ‘asado’ is the method of grilling. Parrilla is also a general term used for restaurants whose meals center around the grill. As for the disclaimer, my experience with asados is pretty limited, so if anyone has better knowledge of the process or wants to correct me, please do. I’d welcome any comments or corrections (or even an invitation to your place so you can demonstrate the proper technique over an asado!).

Preparing the Parrilla

Can you name all the foods? Click for a bigger picture.

As you can see from the photos, the parrilla is quite large. Even in the photo of the guy cooking on the street, he is taking more room than you would be using in the US. This is to accommodate the multistage method. The stages involve control of the heat for the fire and it moves the material from the initial burn to the spent ash/coals. This parrilla is actually modeled after the Uruguayan style. The difference between the two is that the Uruguayan version has a separate metal grill that you stoke to make the embers fall. The Argentines are not as picky, you make the fire directly on the bricks on the left side and push them to the cooking area when they are ready (alternatively, you can prepare the fire directly under the grill). The photo of the street asado is more traditionally Argentine of the two parrillas. The premise remains the same though.

Notice the burning fire and the embers ready to be used collecting below.

1. The first stage is to burn the wood. As I understand, many people try to use wood instead of charcoal. Charcoal is available and sometimes used, but wood is typically the choice heat source. All freshly burning material is in the first area.
2. The second stage is a holding area for the hot coals/embers.
3. The third stage is the cooking area. This is where the hot coals are spread under the food being cooked. On many parrillas the grill grate itself is suspended on a chain and can be raised and lowered to help regulate the proximity to the heat source.
4. The fourth area is for the spent coals.

The wood from the first stage has been consumed. The embers are ready to be used in stage two. Embers are spread under the lowered grill in stage three.

This process ensures you always have a fresh and constant supply of hot coals to use and gets them out of the way quickly and easily when they are used up. I find this way allows for more control over the level of heat for the cuts of meat. You can directly adjust the amount of coals on the fly. This also allows you to leave the meat in place and not move it around trying to find best area on the grill for it.

Typically, asados last several hours and many different cuts of meat are served. When my friend hosted one at his house, we ate:

From the Grill

Potatoes wrapped in foil added to the embers

• Picaña (a Brazilian cut that is very popular in Argentina now)
• Thin Flank (Vacio)
• Chorizos
• Sweet Blood Sausage (Morzilla Dulce)
• Pork Ribs (Pechito de Cerdo)
• Baked Potatoes
• Grilled Corn

Other

• two kinds of salad
• baguette
• Ice cream from Freddo

Unfortunately, we planned this on short notice and could not get good mollejas (sweetbread). We had eaten some a few days before, but I was looking forward to grilling some myself. Maybe next time.

Leftovers

The view from Bodega Finca Decero

Mendoza recap: Mendoza is knows for its malbecs, and they had some very good ones. I went to several bodegas to taste some wine; my favorite were Renacer, Ruca Malen and Bodega Benegas. On the wine tour, I had lunch at the bodega Ruca Malen. A great meal, each course paired with it’s own wine, of course.

Tapas at Ruca Malen

Roasted Apple with Quince Jelly at Ruca Malen in Mendoza, Argentina

The main course was a beef tenderloin grilled “a las brasas” served with potatoes and bacon rolls and a goat cheese and black pepper sauce.

Beef tenderloin with potatoes and bacon rolls and a goat cheese and black pepper sauce at Ruca Malen

I also had a fantastic meal at 1884, Francis Mallmann’s restaurant (voted the 7th best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine). Fantastic meal, great atmosphere. The restaurant is part of the Bodegas Escorihuela winery which had some very good wines. I had the Escorihuela Gascon Malbec and the Escorihuela Gascon Viognier; I preferred the Malbec, but both were nice. The menu is split into three sections: From the Grill, From the Clay Oven, and From the Kitchen. I would recommend getting a dish either from the grill or the oven. Mallmann is classically trained in the French style and tends to over prepare many dishes. Getting a dish from the grill or oven forces a simplification of the dish and, in my opinion, produces a more authentic Argentine meal. I had the chivito de Malargue (baby goat from Malargue), which I would recommend to anyone going there.

Kato Cafe

Buenos Aires recap: I did not eat at many restaurants in BsAs because I was living with my friend’s family while staying there. We normally stayed home and cooked something at home with the family. I did go to a few restaurants which I can recommend.

Cafe Biela

Bobo was very good. Located in the Palermo district, the food was well prepared with a good attention to detail. The style is modern and they blend cuisine from across the world but use spices more traditional to Argentina.
I also had the opportunity to go to a dinner club, Casa Saltshaker. This was one of the best meals I have had in a long time–easily the best meal on the trip. The dinner is served at a communal table with no more than 12 people attending. Each week is a different menu based off a theme. The week I went the theme was Thai food to celebrate the birthday of Bhumibol Adulyadej (also known as Rama IX), the current king of Thailand.  The meal was a five course meal (sorry no photos of this one) that was perfectly paired with wines. I was very impressed by the preparation of the food and the wines chosen. The first dish was a smoked eggplant salad served on a tomato slice. This was paired with a Nieto Senetier Brut Nature sparkling wine. The second dish was a shrimp and lime consommé paired with a Jose L. Mounnier Torrentés. Again wonderfully prepared and delicious with the wine. The third dish was a double. One half of the plate was fried tofu served on a slice of pineapple and the other half of the plate was peppered sauteed calamari. This was paired with Monteviejo Festive Rodado which surprised me at first. I generally don’t go for rosés, but this one was perfect with the tofu and pineapple. The fourth dish was a melon curry with salt cured trout paired with Alredo Roca Pinot Noir. Argentines are not very used to spicy foods, so Dan, the chef, opted to refrain on adding too much spice and instead provided a spicy pepper sauce on the side. The addition of the sauce greatly improved the meal. To finish the meal a squash tart with caramelized cashews was paired with Callia Amable Dulce Natural.
I highly recommend it. If you go anywhere to eat in Argentina, go there.

(Update: I forgot to add a link to the Casa SaltShaker blog. There is an entry–with photos!–about the meal)

Cafe Civit in Mendoza

One more thing of note: ice cream. I am astounded by the capacity of Argentines to eat ice cream. The huge Italian influence (gelato style ice cream) mixed with South American flavors makes for some amazing treats. The Dulce de Leche flavor is a good start, traditional and delicious. Don’t stop there though, if you really want a treat, have Tramontana or Banana Split. Tramontana is basically a ducle de leche ice cream with chocolate crunchy nuggets mixed in. Banana Split is not like in the US. Forget about serving ice cream on top of a banana, instead make banana flavored ice cream with dulce de leche and mix in bits of chocolate. Amazing. If I can figure out how to make that here I would make a killing.