View source for Asado

{{Short description|Barbecue style in various South American countries}} 
{{italic title}}
{{for multi|the braised dish|Philippine asado|the roasted fish dish|Portuguese assado}}
{{Original research|date=July 2024|reason=Sources cited do not substantiate the preceding claims or are absent, and large swaths are copied verbatim.|small=y}}
[[File:Asado 2005.jpg | thumb | upright=1.35| right | A typical asado in Argentina]]
{{Steak}}
'''''{{lang|es|Asado}}''''' ({{IPA|es|aˈsaðo|lang}}) is the technique and the social event of having or attending a [[barbecue]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.woz.ch/artikel/2007/nr26/leben/15131.html |title=Jedes Biest auf den Grill |first=Christoph |last=Kuhn |date=28 June 2007 |publisher=WOZ Die Wochenzeitung |location=Zurich |language=de |access-date=29 December 2012 |quote=Asado heisst eigentlich gegrilltes Fleisch, Braten; das Wort wird heute für das Grillereignis allgemein gebraucht. |archive-date=23 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723151853/http://www.woz.ch/artikel/2007/nr26/leben/15131.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> in various [[South America|South American]] countries: especially [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]] where it is also a traditional event, as well as [[Brazil]] ([[Rio Grande do Sul]]), [[Chile]] and [[Paraguay]]. An ''asado'' usually consists of [[beef]], [[pork]], [[Chicken as food|chicken]], {{lang|es|[[chorizo]]}}, and {{lang|es|[[morcilla]]}}, all of which are cooked using an open fire or a [[grilling|grill]], called a '''''parrilla'''''. Usually, [[red wine]] and side dishes such as [[salad]]s accompany the main meats, which are prepared by a designated cook called the '''''asador'''''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=0&article=2461&context=etd&type=additional |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519033253/http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=0&article=2461&context=etd&type=additional |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 19, 2012 |format=PDF |title=Crossing Borders: From Iowa to Argentina |work=Iowa Research Online |publisher=University of Iowa |access-date=29 December 2012 |quote=The person who cooks the asado is called an "asador".}}</ref> or '''''parrillero'''''.

==Coal and fire==
[[File:Preparing the Asado.jpg|thumb|left|''Asado'' on an open pit]]
Usually, the ''asador'' begins by igniting the charcoal, which is often made of native trees (such as ''[[Quebracho tree|quebracho]]'' or ''algarrobo''), avoiding pines and eucalyptus as they have strong-smelling resins. In more sophisticated ''asados'' the charcoal is of a specific tree or made from the coal of recently burned wood, which is also commonplace when having an ''asado'' in a campfire. In Uruguay, charcoal is not used; instead, the ''asado'' is grilled directly over embers or hot coals.

Cooking can be done ''al asador'' or ''a la parrilla''. In the first case, a fire is lit 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 charcoal has formed, a grill with the meat is placed over it.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Catena |first1=Laura |title=Vino Argentino: An Insider's Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina |date=18 November 2011 |publisher=Chronicle Books |isbn=978-1-4521-0038-8 |page=43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wd4QmnKs7N0C&dq=asado+grill+%22placed+over%22&pg=PA43 |language=en}} "...cooked over a slow fire for a couple of hours inside a cement or brick structure. Simple metal grill racks, placed over an open fire, are also popular."</ref>

===Embutidos and achuras===
In many ''asados'', ''[[Chorizo#South America|chorizos]]'', ''morcillas'' ([[black pudding]]), ''chinchulines'' (cow [[chitterlings]]), ''mollejas'' ([[sweetbread]]s), and other [[organ (anatomy)|organ]]s, often accompanied by ''[[provoleta]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-asado.htm |title=What is an Asado? |first=Devon |last=Pryor |work=wiseGEEK |access-date=29 December 2012 |quote=Chicken is also common, as is a slab of queso provoleta, or provolone cheese.}}</ref> would be served first while the cuts that require longer preparations are still on the grill. Sometimes these are served on a charcoal ''[[brasero (heater)|brasero]]''. ''Chorizos'' may be served with ''[[pan felipe]]'' or baguette bread, often called ''[[choripán]]''.

===Meats===
[[File:Two pieces of grilled short ribs served on a plate, 2007.jpg|thumb|230px|''Asado de tira'', flanken-cut [[short ribs]].]]
After appetizers, ''costillas'' or ''asado de tira'' ([[Ribs_(food)|ribs]]) can be served. Next comes ''vacío'' ([[flank steak]]), ''[[matambre]]'' and possibly chicken and ''{{lang|es|[[chivito]]}}'' (goatling). Dishes such as ''[[pamplona (meat)|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 grill and seasoned with olive oil and salt. Beer, wine, soft drink, and other beverages are common. Dessert is usually fresh fruit.

[[File:Plato de lechazo, Valladolid.jpg|thumb|left|''Lechazo asado'' (roast [[lechazo]]), shown above, is a typical dish from [[Spanish cuisine]], as is the similar  ''Cochinillo asado'' ([[Pig roast|roast suckling pig]]).]]
Another traditional form to mainly roast the meat, used in Patagonia, is with the whole animal (especially lamb and pork) in a wooden stick nailed in the ground and exposed to the heat of live coals, called ''asado al palo''.

The meat for an ''asado'' is not [[marination|marinate]]d, the only preparation being the application of salt before or during the cooking period.<ref name=rockridge>{{cite web|title=Rockridge Cornucopia: Politics and Food|url=http://www.rockridge.org/news/rockridge-cornucopia-politics-and-food|access-date=12 June 2015|date=9 June 2013|last1=Kaufman|first1=Barry|archive-date=6 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206205811/http://www.rockridge.org/news/rockridge-cornucopia-politics-and-food|url-status=dead}}</ref> Also, the heat and distance from the coals are controlled to provide a slow cooking; it usually takes around two hours to cook ''asado''. Further, grease from the meat is not encouraged to fall on the coals and create smoke, which would adversely flavour the meat. In some ''asados'' the area directly under the meat is kept clear of coals.
[[File:Small Family Asado.jpg|thumb|''Asado'' done on a grill using firewood.]]
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 chopped parsley, dried oregano, garlic, salt, black pepper, onion, and paprika with olive oil, 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brooks |first=Shirley Lomax |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iJptJLnzIVAC&dq=%22Chimichurri%22+%22Asado%22&pg=PA82 |title=Argentina Cooks!: Treasured Recipes from the Nine Regions of Argentina |date=2003 |publisher=Hippocrene Books |isbn=978-0-7818-0997-9 |language=en}}</ref>
===Salad===
Food is often accompanied by salads, which in ''asado'' gatherings are traditionally made by women on site or brought to the ''asado'' from their homes while the men focus on the meats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vagabundomagazine.com/understanding-the-asado-barbecue-the-argentinian-way/ |title=Understanding the Asado: Barbecue The Argentinian Way |first=Guillermo |last=Astigarraga |date=19 October 2011 |work=Vagabundo Magazine |access-date=29 December 2012 |quote=Men grill the meat, women make the salad -which is just tomato and lettuce dressed with oil and salt, and maybe a squirt of vinegar; after all, the salad is not the point, it’s all about the meat (look closely at how the different groups function, men in the backyard grilling, women in the kitchen chopping vegetables, all roles predetermined, neither side interested in introducing any variations). |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426042323/http://www.vagabundomagazine.com/understanding-the-asado-barbecue-the-argentinian-way/ |archive-date=26 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Salad Olivier]] (''ensalada rusa'') is one of the most common salads served at ''asados''.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-asado.htm |title=What is an Asado? |first=Devon |last=Pryor |work=wiseGEEK |access-date=29 December 2012 |quote=One is more likely to see an ensalada rusa, made from potato, carrot, green peas, hardboiled eggs, and mayonnaise.}}</ref> In Paraguay [[chipa guasu]], [[sopa paraguaya]] and boiled [[cassava|manioc]] as a side dish are also served.
Although salads can frequently be served at Asados, they are also traditionally made fun of, particularly in Buenos Aires. For example, the animated show The Simpsons has an outsized cultural role in Argentina, particularly among millennials as it was amongst a paucity of regularly available television programming in the early 2000s. Season 7 episode 5, entitled "Lisa the Vegetarian" includes a song called "You Don't Win Friends With Salad!" which is derisively sung to Lisa by the other characters. That song is routinely sung at Argentine asados.{{cn|date=September 2025}}

== Variations ==
[[File:Argentinean asado.jpg|thumb|A typical Argentinean ''asado'' assortment consisting of beef, pork, beef ribs, pork ribs, chitterlings, sweetbread, sausages, blood sausages, and chicken.]]

In Chile, the normal version ''cordero al palo'' (whole roast lamb) is usually accompanied with ''[[pebre]]'', a fresh dip-style salad made from diced tomatoes, coriander, garlic, and hot peppers. This lamb dish is typical of southern Chile and is served hot accompanied by salads. A whole lamb is tied to a spit and is then roasted perpendicular on a wood fire. The preparation lasts around 5 hours since cooking must be constant and on a low heat.
[[File:Grilling sauages in Montevideo.jpg|thumb|left|Line cooks grilling sausages, asado, and [[offal]] in [[Mercado del Puerto]]]]
[[File:Asado a la estaca en General Pico, Argentina 2007.jpg|thumb|left|Asado in the [[La Pampa Province|La Pampa]] agricultural town of [[General Pico]], [[Argentina]].]][[File:Chulengo.jpg|thumb|A "chulengo" is usually an oil barrel cut in half, used to protect the fire and meat from winds]]
[[File:Asado Spit Braai in South Africa.jpg|alt=Asado Spit Braai in South Africa|thumb|Asado in South Africa]]
In Brazil, ''asado'' is called ''{{lang|pt|[[churrasco]]}}'', although the cooking is usually faster. Grilled and salted meat in Brazil is generally called "carne assada" and is often cut into small strips and served on a plate or cutting board in the middle of the table for all to partake. Various grilled meats, pork, sausages and occasionally chicken are also passed around from table to table on a spit and a slice is offered to each person. This is called "rodizio" because each person partakes in turn. Charcoal is predominantly used instead of [[ember]]s of [[wood]], and Brazilians tend to cook the meat on [[skewer]]s or grills. The meat of Rozidio is usually seasoned with salt alone.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Waggoner |first1=John |title=Sao Paolo & Brazil |date=2009 |publisher=Hunter Publishing, Inc |isbn=978-1-58843-792-1 |page=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XhwPfnu18hYC&pg=PT2 |language=en}}</ref>

In Mexico, there is similar tradition of as ''parrilladas'' or ''[[carne asada]]s'', which incorporates various marinated cuts of meat, including steaks, chicken, and sausages (''chorizo'', ''[[longaniza]]'', and ''[[moronga]]'' being especially popular). These are all grilled over wood charcoal. Vegetables are also placed over the grill, especially green onions (''cebollitas''), ''[[nopal]]es'', and corn ([[elote]]'').''

Again, in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, some alternatives are the ''asado al disco'' and ''asado al horno de barro'', especially in the countryside. The recipe does not change, only the way of cooking. In the ''asado al disco'' (the worn-out disc of a [[plough]]) is used. Being metallic and concave, three or four metallic legs are welded and with hot coal or lumber below it is easily transformed into an effective grill. Food is put in a spiral, in such a way that the fat naturally slips to the center, preserving the meat for being fried. [[Bell pepper]]s and onions are usually put next to the edge, so that they gradually release their juices on the meat. The ''asado al horno de barro'' differs from tradition, as an adobe ''[[horno]]'' (oven, called [[tatakua]] in Paraguay) is used. These ovens are a common view in Argentine and Paraguayan ''[[estancia]]s''; their primary function is to bake bread, [[chipa guasu]] and [[sopa paraguaya]], but they are well suited for roasting meat. [[Pork]] suckling and, less commonly, [[lamb and mutton|lamb]] are served, as they are more unlikely to become dry. Another way of cooking the asado is inside a ''chulengo'', an oil barrel (or similar) cut in half, inside which the grill is placed to protect both the meat and fire from heavy winds. This makes the ''chulengo'' especially useful in the [[Patagonia]] region, although it is also used in other areas for practicality and the ability to move it around.

==Similar terms in other cuisines==
South American ''asado'' should not be confused with ''[[Philippine asado|asado]]'' in the [[Philippines]], which refers to two different [[braised]] dishes: ''[[asado de carajay]]'', which is braised meat with vegetables in a savory stew; and [[Philippine asado|pork ''asado'']], which is a sweet braised version of ''[[char siu]]''. The equivalent of Latin American ''asado'' barbecues in Philippine cuisine would be the various ''[[inihaw]]'' dishes (also known as ''sinugba'' or ''inasal'').

In [[Portugal]], a roasted fish dish served with sausages and bacon is also known as ''[[assado]]''.

In [[Goa]], roast beef is called ''assad'', from Portuguese ''[[assado]]''.

In [[South Africa]], a whole meat carcass cooked with the ''al asador'' method is called asado spit braai or [[wiktionary:spit_roast|spit roast]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Food}}
* [[List of barbecue dishes]]
* [[Argentine cuisine]]
** [[Argentine beef]]
* [[Chilean cuisine]]
* [[Paraguayan cuisine]]
* [[Peruvian cuisine]]
* [[Uruguayan cuisine]]
** [[Cuisine of Montevideo]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Asado}}
* The Art of Cordero al Palo [https://www.newworlder.com/article/8193/the-art-of-cordero-al-palo]

{{Barbecue}}

[[Category:Barbecue]]
[[Category:National symbols of Argentina]]
[[Category:Eating parties]]
[[Category:Food and drink in South America]]
[[Category:Latin American pork dishes]]
[[Category:National dishes]]