flipAsado de Tira con Chimichurri (The Great Argentine Barbecue)
Asado de Tira con Chimichurri (The Great Argentine Barbecue)
Why this dish? The asado is the quintessential Argentine social ritual, and Cristina constantly returns to it as a symbol of national unity. A Peronist politician who claims to be of the people, she shares with all Argentines this moment when family and friends gather around the parrilla.
Beef ribs cut across the bone (asado de tira) slowly cooked over the embers of the parrilla, salted with coarse salt and drizzled with chimichurri — a raw sauce of garlic, parsley, oregano, vinegar, and oil. The meat is tender, smoky, and melting.
El asado no se apura — the asado is never rushed, never. First I prepare the embers, nice and red, never direct flame, and the tira de asado goes on top, bone side first. Coarse salt, nothing else on the meat, the rest is showing off. While it slowly browns, we pass the mate, talk about the country, laugh. And when it's time to serve, my chimichurri: garlic, parsley, oregano, a splash of vinegar — that's where Argentina comes together, around the fire, todos juntos.
- •Beef ribs cut across the bone (asado de tira) — a generous piece per guest (meat, umami)
- •Coarse salt — by hand (seasoning)
- •Embers of hardwood or charcoal — a good bed (slow cooking)
- •Garlic, parsley, oregano, wine vinegar, oil, dried red chili — for the chimichurri (accompanying sauce)
Asado de Tira con Chimichurri (The Great Argentine Barbecue)
Beef ribs cut across the bone (asado de tira) slowly cooked over the embers of the parrilla, salted with coarse salt and drizzled with chimichurri — a raw sauce of garlic, parsley, oregano, vinegar, and oil. The meat is tender, smoky, and melting.
Why this dish? The asado is the quintessential Argentine social ritual, and Cristina constantly returns to it as a symbol of national unity. A Peronist politician who claims to be of the people, she shares with all Argentines this moment when family and friends gather around the parrilla.
El asado no se apura — the asado is never rushed, never. First I prepare the embers, nice and red, never direct flame, and the tira de asado goes on top, bone side first. Coarse salt, nothing else on the meat, the rest is showing off. While it slowly browns, we pass the mate, talk about the country, laugh. And when it's time to serve, my chimichurri: garlic, parsley, oregano, a splash of vinegar — that's where Argentina comes together, around the fire, todos juntos.
Ingredients (period version)
- Beef ribs cut across the bone (asado de tira) — a generous piece per guest (meat, umami)
- Coarse salt — by hand (seasoning)
- Embers of hardwood or charcoal — a good bed (slow cooking)
- Garlic, parsley, oregano, wine vinegar, oil, dried red chili — for the chimichurri (accompanying sauce)
Ingredients
- Asado de tira (beef short ribs, ≈ 2 cm thick) — 1.2 kg for 4 people (meat)
- Coarse salt — 2 tbsp (seasoning)
- Charcoal — 2 kg (embers)
- Flat-leaf parsley, chopped — 1 large bunch (chimichurri)
- Garlic — 4 cloves (chimichurri)
- Dried oregano — 1 tbsp (chimichurri)
- Red wine vinegar — 4 tbsp (chimichurri)
- Oil (sunflower or olive) — 100 ml (chimichurri)
- Red chili flakes (ají molido) — 1 tsp (chimichurri)
Method
- Light the charcoal in advance and wait for gray and red embers, without flames (about 30–40 min).
- Prepare the chimichurri: mix parsley, minced garlic, oregano, chili, vinegar, oil, and a pinch of salt. Let it rest while cooking.
- Salt the tira with coarse salt on both sides.
- Place the meat on the grill, bone side toward the embers, over low-medium heat.
- Cook slowly (45 min to 1 hour depending on thickness), flip once when the bone side is well browned.
- Serve immediately, drizzled with chimichurri, with bread and a salad.
How it was made : The asado descends from the gauchos of the pampas, who roasted beef on a spit over an open fire (asado al asador) as early as the 19th century, when cattle raising made Argentina wealthy. The urban parrilla (horizontal grill) came later, but the principle — meat, salt, embers, patience — has not changed.
The contemporary twist : On a festive table, the asado is presented on a rustic wooden board with a bowl of chimichurri in the center and a glass of Malbec from Mendoza: the complete Argentine gastronomic flag.
Cristina Kirchner · Charactorium
