Discover the South American tradition of live-fire cooking that brings people together around wood, flame, and patience
An Asado is far more than grilling meat. It is a ritual, an all-day, fire-centered gathering built around patience, conversation, and respect for ingredients. For those unfamiliar with South American fire cooking, Asado represents both a cooking method and a way of life—one that prioritizes wood fire, simple seasoning, and the slow, meditative process of tending live coals.
At its core, Asado is a traditional South American style of cooking over live fire, most closely associated with Argentina and Uruguay, with deep roots across Chile and Patagonia. These regions share a philosophy that prioritizes wood fire, simple seasoning, and slow cooking over embers rather than direct flame.
In Argentina and Uruguay, Asado is both a cooking method and a social institution. Sundays are often reserved for it. Friends and family gather for hours while the asador—the fire master—tends the fire and meat. Cooking begins early and unfolds gradually, with different cuts coming off the grill as they are ready.
What sets Asado apart from typical American grilling is the deliberate focus on patience and presence. There are no quick shortcuts. No gas burners. No charcoal briquettes. Everything starts with hardwood—oak, quebracho, almond, or other dense woods that burn down into lasting, radiant coals.
The asador lights the wood fire hours before cooking begins, allowing it to burn down into a bed of glowing embers. These embers provide consistent, moderate heat that cooks meat slowly and evenly. Unlike grilling over direct flame, this method prevents burning while allowing fat to render and flavors to develop gradually.
While the core philosophy remains the same, different regions have their own distinctive approaches
The most well-known style, Argentine Asado typically uses a parrilla (a flat grill grate) positioned over a bed of wood coals. Meat is cooked slowly, fat-side up, allowing natural juices to baste the meat as it renders.
Common cuts include short ribs (asado de tira), flank steak, and various sausages. The focus is on simplicity—just salt, fire, and time.
Similar to Argentine style but with even more emphasis on precision and patience. Uruguayan asadores are known for their meticulous fire management and longer cooking times.
The parrilla is often V-shaped to allow fat to drain, and the focus is on methodical, even cooking rather than high heat.
The most primal style. Patagonian Asado often uses large cuts or even whole animals cooked on iron crosses positioned near open flames. This style emphasizes the raw power of fire.
Lamb is especially popular in this region, cooked slowly over several hours while anchored upright near the fire.
While distinct from Asado, Brazilian Churrasco shares the same wood-fire foundation. It often uses large skewers or rotisseries with meat cooked over open fire and rotated continuously.
Churrasco tends to be more dynamic and fast-paced compared to the methodical patience of Argentine-style Asado.
Every authentic Asado is built on three fundamental pillars that define the entire experience:
Traditional Asado relies on salt—coarse, flaky salt applied generously before cooking. Some asadores use salmuera, a salt water brine brushed onto meat during cooking. Nothing more. No marinades. No spice rubs. The goal is to let the meat and fire speak for themselves.
Finishing sauces like chimichurri are served on the side—they enhance, not overpower.
Asado cannot be rushed. Meat cooks for hours over moderate heat, allowing connective tissue to break down and fat to render slowly. The asador tends the fire, adjusts grill height, and monitors the coals—but never in a hurry.
This deliberate slowness creates space for conversation, connection, and shared experience around the fire.
"Fire is a living thing. You do not control it. You work with it."
— Francis Mallmann, Seven Fires
We've created comprehensive guides to help you master every aspect of authentic South American fire cooking
Your complete resource covering everything from fire building and wood selection to grill setup, timing, and hosting. Learn the philosophy, techniques, and traditions that define authentic Asado.
Complete collection of traditional Asado sauces, marinades, and accompaniments. Step-by-step instructions for chimichurri, salmuera, salsa criolla, and all the essential recipes every asador needs.
Ready to host your first Asado? Here's what you need to know to get started:
You don't need expensive equipment to start. A basic charcoal grill can work if you use real hardwood lump charcoal or wood chunks. However, a traditional V-grate parrilla or an Argentine-style grill with adjustable grates is ideal.
Learn about different grill setups, fire management, and essential tools in our Ultimate Guide to Asado.
Hardwood is essential. Look for oak, hickory, almond, or fruitwoods. Avoid softwoods like pine (too much resin) and never use treated lumber. The wood should be dry and well-seasoned for clean, long-lasting coals.
You'll need to start the fire 1-2 hours before cooking to burn the wood down to embers.
For your first Asado, stick with coarse salt only. Season generously before cooking. You can brush on salmuera (salt water brine) during cooking to keep meat moist.
Get the complete salmuera recipe and other essential sauces in our Asado Recipe Guide.
Start with forgiving cuts like short ribs, flank steak, or sausages. These cuts benefit from slow cooking and are hard to overcook. Bone-in cuts work especially well for Asado.
Cook fat-side up so the rendering fat naturally bastes the meat as it cooks.
Plan for 4-6 hours total—this includes fire building, cooking, and serving. Don't rush. Meat comes off the grill in stages, and guests eat throughout the day rather than waiting for one big meal.
The slow pace is part of the experience. Let the fire set the rhythm.
Preparing the fire is the foundation of every great Asado
Asado is not about mastery. It is about awareness.
When you cook over live fire, you are forced to be present. You watch the wood. You read the embers. You adjust slowly. This attentiveness carries over to the people around the fire. A great Asado leaves no one rushed and no one excluded.
In a world obsessed with efficiency and convenience, Asado offers something different: the deliberate choice to slow down. To build a fire from scratch. To spend hours cooking meat over wood. To gather without rushing. To eat without schedules.
That is why Asado endures. It is not a technique—it is a way of bringing people together, one ember at a time.
Everything starts with wood and embers
Slow cooking builds flavor and community
Simple seasoning, proper cooking
The fire brings people together