Grilling, for many, is an art form created over a fire. For Argentinian's, it is a lifestyle mastered and passed down from generation to generation to be enjoyed with everyone. Rosemary and Claire, co-founders of Authentic Food Quest, who have spent a significant amount of time in South America and are generous enough to share their Tips To Grill Like An Argentinian with everyone here at Cooking-Outdoors!
5 Tips To Grill Like An Argentinian
When it comes to grilling, Argentinians have mastered the art of the perfect barbecue. With the Summer season upon us, spending time grilling outdoors is something you probably enjoy. What if you could grill differently this Summer? What if you could try a few new tips and recipes? What if you could grill like an Argentinian?
To help you get started, we would like to share with you a few tips that we learned while we were in Argentina. Our names are Rosemary and Claire and we are co-founders of Authentic Food Quest. Our mission to inspire people to travel through food, and specifically authentic food. As part of our goal, we spent 6 months in South America discovering the authentic dishes in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Peru.
While eating our way through Argentina, we had the chance to share and enjoy many asados (barbecues) and parrillas (steakhouses). We observed the Argentinian grilling customs and we also learned the various grilling techniques including what makes Argentinian grilling so unique.
To ground ourselves deeper in the Argentinian grilling culture, we also had the pleasure of meeting Argentine top chef, Francis Mallmann, who shared insights about the Argentinian grilling culture.
From everything we learned, we share with you 5 tips to help you grill like an Argentinian this Summer:
1 – Find The Right Beef
One of the secrets to the great tasting Argentine beef, starts with the quality of the product. In Argentina, the cows are fed naturally on lush grasslands. In the Pampas, one of the most important farming region, you see cows roaming freely and eating wild grass.
This produces meat that is lean and pronounced with flavors. You will never see frozen patties sizzling on a grill in Argentina. Everything starts with great fresh products. When grilling this Summer, get the best quality beef you can, and savor the difference.
2 – Go Beyond Meat On The Grill
Even though beef is “king” of the barbecue in Argentina, you will be surprised to see much more diverse cuts on the grill. In Argentina, grilling goes beyond hamburgers and hot dogs. What you will see instead are a variety of organ meats (offal) or what Argentines call achuras.
Some of the most popular achuras are chinchulines (cow intestines), morcillas (blood sausages) and mollejas (sweetbread). These delicious Argentine indulgences can spice up your grilling experience.
This Summer, try new tastes and flavors. Go beyond your traditional cuts of beef and eat like an Argentinian.
3 – No Flames, Use Hot Coals Instead
Grilling in Argentina typically happens over wood fires. Unlike in the U.S. the only acceptable fuel for grilling is the burning of wood. This process usually starts early in the day, and the meat is placed is on the grill only after the smoke is gone and you are left with hot glowing coals.
The meat is never placed in direct contact with flames. The fire is kept on the side of the grill, and hot embers are shoveled underneath the meat from time to time to slowly cook and regulate the temperatures.
To achieve this cooking technique, typical Argentine grills have huge crank wheels on the sides, connected to the grates by chains, allowing the cooking surfaces to be raised or lowered away from or closer to the fire.
The next time you get ready to grill, adopt the following techniques. Use wood instead. Cook over hot embers, slowly and don’t let your meat come into direct contact with the flames.
4- Aim To Crust The Meat
When grilling a steak, you want to aim for a crust. A steak that is cooked properly has a thin brown crust produced by searing. This is achieved in the first contact between the meat and the grill.
According to Francis Mallmann in his book, “Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way”, the crust keeps the meat moist by preventing the juices from escaping while the meat cooks.
When observing the way meat is grilled in Argentina, you will never see the meat being flipped back and forth. It is this idea expressed by Francis Mallmann that “you must respect the first contact between meat and the grilling surface.”
The art is to cook the meat with the right amount of grilling so that you have a nice crust without burning the meat. This technique takes practice but it is worth the effort to get the most juicy flavors out of your meat.
5- Douse Your Meat With Delicious Chimichurri Sauce
Ketchup, mustard or barbecue sauces are never found on any traditional Argentine grill. When you start with quality products and cook the meat long and slow, you will find that you rarely need to add any condiments to your meats.
The one acceptable sauce for grilling in Argentina is Chimichurri sauce. This sauce is added to the meat as a final touch. Using the recipe below, make Chimichurri sauce at your next barbecue. Do without your typical grilling sauces and introduce your friends and family to the new taste of this delicious Argentine sauce.
Francis Mallmann’s Chimichurri
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 tbs. coarse salt
1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup fresh oregano leaves
2 tsp. crushed red- pepper flakes
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oilInstructions
Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan.
Add the salt, and stir until it dissolves.
Remove from heat, and allow to cool.
Mince the garlic very finely, and put in a medium bowl.
Mince the parsley and oregano, and add to the garlic, along with the red-pepper flakes.
Whisk in the red-wine vinegar, then the olive oil.Whisk in the salted water.
Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid, and keep in the refrigerator.Let the flavors mingle for at least a day, and serve with grilled meats.
The sauce can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 weeks
(Adapted from Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way, by Francis Mallmann with Peter Kaminsky; Artisan, 2009).
Bio:
Claire and Rosemary are co-founders of Authentic Food Quest.
They aim to inspire people to travel through authentic food.
Join to follow their adventures here.
They have just released their first book Authentic Food Quest Argentina: A Guide To Eat Your Way Authentically Through Argentina, which is available starting July 15, 2016 on Amazon Kindle.
The book will be FREE from July 16th – July 18th.
Grab your copy NOW by clicking this link on Amazon.
