Argentinian Asado

Yes, this post is about meat.  But before we get to that...

First, here's us splurging on a nice coffee (very difficult to find without breaking the bank) and a pastry in the upscale part of town.

And here's where we dropped in a bit later (seeing the huge group of locals in attendance) and had a litre of beer and two very tasty pizza slices for less money than the coffees above.  Coors would be proud - the beer was super-cooled to the point where the top two inches was slush.

How to chill out at the hostel?  I preferred borrowing the house guitar.  Too bad I don't know any Argentinian folk/tango songs.  Ballads by Extreme and Alice In Chains only.

OK, on to the meat.  Our hostel provided some kind of cheap-to-free activity every night.  First night we did wine tasting, and second night I took a Yerba Mate-making class (it's the preferred drink of South America - like communal tea; I even bought a mate (the cup you make the drink in) and bombilla (the straw you drink it through).  And the last night of our stay I attended their bi-weekly Asado.

Argentinian "Asado" is their version of grilling/BBQ.  Asado grills/ovens are attached to almost every home.  It's a wood-fired slow-grilling technique.  Some grill surfaces may be winched up or down to achieve the optimal cooking height.  The meat is big slabs (not sure of the cut), with a very thin layer of sheathing/fat on top, which is well-salted but not otherwise seasoned.  The meat is cooked to about medium-well or well done, which takes around 1-2 hours, during which the surface develops wonderful caramelization while the meat stays surprisingly moist.

Our Asado master checks the grill heat.  We probably had the only grillmaster in Argentina who looks almost exactly like Kim Thayil, guitarist for Soundgarden.  (And Soundgarden's "Spoonman" is playing on the stereo at the hostel while I write this.  Clearly it was meant to be.)

The hostel's Asado area, fairly typical - always a tall chimney

Mmm, the meat is winched down and starts cooking

Wood is stacked criss-cross off to one side until it becomes coals and can be added in a thin layer to the main cooking area

Things are starting to cook

Meat is flipped, and the quicker-cooking chorizo is added 

The hostel attendees (note Sarah is not there, having eaten earlier)

Then we settled down to tasty empanadas, salad, grilled potatoes and peppers, and an evening of succulent all-you-can-eat Asado and all-you-can-drink Argentine wine.  A bit taxing at my age, but I hung in there.

Mmm, asado, yum