What is a BBQ called in Argentina?Our Parrilla and Asado Guide!

/ Buenos Aires, Culture

First of all lets discuss the word Parilla in Spanish. Parrilla refers to two things: the grill where you cook meat and veg and it also means the restaurant that serves Argentine barbecue. 

There are plenty of ‘parrillas’ (that is restaurants) in Buenos Aires, and in other provinces too, to try the typical barbecue. 

For an amazing experience, check out the 8 course barbecue meal at Fogón restaurant in Palermo.

What is carne a la parrilla?

Carne a la parrila is grilled meat, usually beef and chorizo. 

What meat is in parrillada?

Argentines use many meat cuts to grill for a barbecue. Some of the cuts are: 

  • Matambre: Matambre is a layer of meat taken from between the hide and the ribs of cattle. It is flat meat with fat on one side.
  • Vacío: It is the cut from between the ribs and the hollows of the hip and is generally juicy meat, although it can be of intermediate tenderness since it is a little more fibrous than other types of cuts. 
  • Tira de Asado: This is an Argentine name that is also known as the costilla (rib of beef). It is a cut that is close to the spinal column.
  • Entraña: The entrail is an elongated and narrow piece of very red meat with a very intense flavor, which corresponds to the muscle of the calf’s diaphragm.
  • Colita de cuadril: This is a classic Argentinian cut. It has a triangular shape and comes from an elongated muscle taken from the lower external part of the hindquarter of the beef. It is a boneless lean piece of meat but has enough fat content to impart a lot of flavor.
  • Bife de chorizo: They are the Argentinean name for the thick filets of beef or ox loin. The so-called bife de chorizo has nothing to do with chorizos despite having such a peculiar name. This piece corresponds to high loin steaks, a very juicy part of the beef that is excellent for grilling or broiling. 

What country is parrillada from?

Of Spanish origin, the asado is already mentioned in documents from the 15th century and is known as a common form of meat preparation throughout the Río de la Plata.

Argentine Asado 

It is believed that around 1556 Juan de Salazar y Espinosa and the Goes brothers brought a bull and seven cows from Brazil to Asuncion, which at that time was part of the Viceroyalty.

The cows began to reproduce and roam the Pampas and they were not owned by anyone, anyone could take a cow. The only condition was not to exceed twelve thousand heads.

The system to hunt them was called “vaquerías’’: ten or fifteen countrymen would get together and when they found the cattle, they would cut the claws of each cow with a spear and the animal would fall to the ground, immobilized. The meat that was used was very little because in general they were hunted for their leather, the raw material of the first Argentinian industry.

With time and adopting Creole customs, the gaucho began to eat roasted meat. With the “facón” they would make a hole of about twenty centimeters in the ground, where they would light a small fire and cook the meat.

Over the years, the methods of preserving and transporting meat improved and turned La Pampa Argentina into one of the main meat suppliers in the world.

The gauchos used to eat when traveling or during their work in the countryside and their customs and ways were simple and primitive. Roasted meat, hot or cold, with sips of bitter mate, gin, or aguardiente were the characteristics of the frugal country meal. 

Where can you eat the best asado in Buenos Aires?

5 Best Parrillas in Buenos Aires, Argentina 

Many restaurants in Buenos Aires offer grilled meat (asado), here you’ll find the most popular and recommended places to try this traditional Argentine dish! 

  • La Cabrera – José Antonio Cabrera 5099, Palermo
  • Don Julio – Guatemala 46911.Palermo 
  • Cabaña Las Lilas – Alicia Moreau de Justo 516, Puerto Madero 
  • El Parrillón del Pobre Luis – Arribeños 2393, Belgrano
  • La Carnicería – Thames 2317, Palermo 
We recommend La Cabrera, food is delicious and staff is very friendly!

4 Affordable parrillas in Buenos Aires

  • La Brigada – Estados Unidos 465, San Telmo 
  • Marucha Parrilla Familiar – 11 de Septiembre 1888 3702, Belgrano 
  • Besares – 11 de Septiembre 1888 4098, Belgrano 
  • Parrilla Peña – Rodriguez Peña 682, near Barrio Norte

Parrillada Argentina recipe 

In a typical Argentine asado, in addition to meat, chorizos, morcilla (black pudding), salchichas parrilleras (grilled sausages), and achuras (offal) such as chinchulines, tripa gorda, mollejas (sweetbreads), ubre de vaca (beef udder), riñones (kidneys) are cooked. 

It’s made with abundant embers to keep the temperature of the fire constant. The grill is placed about 25-30 centimeters away and the coals are usually placed around the grill, with some glowing underneath.

How to prepare the Argentine Asado 

To prepare the fire there are two options, a more traditional one with firewood that provides a smoked and woody flavor and the other way with charcoal that allows a more precise temperature during cooking. If firewood is used, which can be quebracho or fast-burning wood such as pine, it must be completely dry and not wet. 

What are some garnishes to accompany an Argentine barbecue?

In the asado, besides cooking the meat on the grill, you can also add vegetables like potatoes, onions, peppers, or even asparagus that are ideal for grilling and are perfect as side dishes to accompany the beef. 

Another typical side dish is fresh salads (lettuce, tomato, and onions) or potato salads with mayonnaise (called ‘ensalada rusa’), which combine very well with the grilled meat. 

It is also a tradition to have a “picadita” before the barbecue, which consists of cheese, olives, and ham platter and works as a light starter. 

To drink? You can have an Argentine red wine or Fernet, another typical drink that works well as a digestive before this heavy meaty meal. 

How much does meat cost in Argentina?

INDEC (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos), the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for June 2022 recorded an increase of 4.6% in food and non-alcoholic beverages, highlighting increases in vegetables and legumes, also the rise in meats and derivatives was recorded in much of the country.

In the first half of the year, meat was one of the foods that increased month by month. According to INDEC data, the cuts that increased the most were asado (roast), paleta (shoulder), cuadril (rump) and nalga (round).

As for meat, a kilo of asado cost $ 884, 61 ARS in December 2021 and a kilo of asado in May 2022 cost $1,078.24 ARS compared to April, the variation for the previous month was 5.5%. 

Remember that Argentina is facing inflation so prices will change month to month. 

What meat should you eat in Argentina?

Achuras is what is served first in a grill-type restaurant, before the main cuts of meat. This round, depending on the restaurant, usually includes sweetbreads, chinchulín, kidneys, and almost always chorizo or morcilla (blood sausage), served with bread and topped with chimichurri sauce. Then comes the main course, with cuts of meat of your choice, usually accompanied by french fries or a salad.

Argentines generally like their meat well cooked. A waiter rarely asks how you would like your steak cooked, so if you want it juicy, be sure to let him know beforehand. There are three ways to order steak; jugoso (juicy or medium rare), a punto (medium rare), and bien cocido (cooked or well done).

What makes the Argentine steak so renowned? 

The key to a good barbecue is based mainly on quality meat cuts. The choice of the meat that we are going to put on the grill defines the quality of the asado, which is composed of meat, salt, and coals.

It is also key to understand that for each cut a specific amount of fire is needed. The wood that is used for the grill is very important too. In addition to providing other types of aromas and flavors, unlike charcoal, firewood gives the grill a much softer and gentler heat.

Cookbooks about Argentine barbecues 

If you’d like to know more about how to cook asado and other Argentine foods and dishes, find a list of recommended books below: 

  • The Food of Argentina: Asado, empanadas, dulce de leche & more, by Ross oss Dobson and Rachel Tolosa Paz. Find it on Amazon here
  • Seven Fires, Grilling the Argentine way, by Francis Mallmann. Find it on Amazon here
  • Mallmann on Fire: 100 Inspired Recipes to Grill Anytime, Anywhere, by Francis Mallmann. Find it on Amazon here

Argentine asado or parrilla?

As I mentioned before, Argentine asado is a grilled meat dish and it’s also the event, the gathering. Every person has a job to do, there is the person in charge of cooking, called ‘el asador’, and other people make salads or the dessert. 

‘To make an asado’ is a full-day event. 

On the hand is parrilla which refers to the iron grill that is used for cooking and also the restaurant that specializes in asado. 

I hope our guide on the Argentine “parrilla” has answered many of your questions about barbecues in Argentina!

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