Argentine Asado
Argentine-style barbecue over wood or charcoal, with low and even heat. With sweetbreads, kidneys, chorizo and blood sausage. Managing the fire, the cooking order, and the final rest are the secret.
- Short ribs or a rib roast
- Sweetbreads
- Kidneys
- Chorizo sausages
- Blood sausage
- Bread
- Coarse and fine salt
- Oil and lemons
- Firewood or charcoal
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1
The day before
Clean the kidneys and sweetbreads with water, trimming off the fat. Place them in separate bowls with water and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate.
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2
Light the fire
With firewood: build a square with thin pieces of wood, one in the center. Roll up a paper towel with oil, light it in the center, and add wood little by little. With charcoal: add coarse salt to get rid of the carbon monoxide. Adjust the height of the grill or the distance from the embers to get low, even heat: asado is cooked over moderate, steady heat, never a strong flame, or it burns outside while staying raw inside.
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3
Cook the asado
Take the kidneys and sweetbreads out of the fridge, rinse them, and put them on the grill. Add the asado, salted with coarse salt, bone-side down. It takes about 1 hour on the bone side: you'll see little drops of red juice start to appear on the top surface, which is the most reliable sign that it's ready to flip, more so than just going by the clock. About 30 more minutes on the other side.
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4
Chorizo and offal
Add the chorizo sausages over medium heat without salting them, turning them regularly. Put the kidneys over high heat, salting them generously on the open side, about 15 min per side.
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5
Sweetbreads
Salt them lightly and cook them longer. Once browned, take them off, cut into fillets, and put them back on the grill.
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6
Order of removal
When you take the kidneys off, put them on a board, cover with a kitchen towel, and let them cool before cutting. The blood sausage goes on last: it doesn't take long.
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7
Rest before cutting
When you take the asado off the grill, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes covered with foil or an upside-down dish before cutting it. During that time the juices redistribute inside the meat: if you cut it right away, they all end up on the board.
- Low, even heat matters more than whether you use firewood or charcoal: without that, it burns outside and stays raw inside.
- Coarse salt on the charcoal gets rid of the carbon monoxide.
- Chorizo sausages never get salted.
- Kidneys are served with lemon wedges.
- Blood sausage always goes last: it cooks fast.
- Let it rest before cutting: it makes a big difference in the final juiciness.