Uruguayan Mixed Grill (Asado)
Asado Say it: ah-SAH-doh
Asado is Uruguay's national ritual as much as its national dish: beef ribs, chorizo and morcilla grilled slowly over wood embers until the fat renders and the crust crackles. It is eaten at Sunday lunches and family gatherings, outdoors, with a bowl of chimichurri and a simple tomato and onion salad. Uruguayan asado is deliberately plain — coarse salt, real fire, no marinades — so the grass-fed beef tastes of itself. The long, patient cooking is the whole point.
Uruguayan Mixed Grill (Asado)
Asado
Pronounced ah-SAH-doh
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr 55 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the grill
Chimichurri
Ensalada criolla
Method
Light the fire. pile the charcoal in a mound, top with two logs and burn for 40–45 minutes, until the coals are covered in grey ash and the flames have died down. Spread the embers into an even bed and keep the remaining logs to one side to feed the fire as you cook.
While the fire burns down, make the chimichurri: stir together the parsley, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, olive oil, vinegar and salt in a bowl. Let it stand at least 30 minutes so the garlic and herbs soften into the oil.
Toss the tomatoes and onion with the olive oil, vinegar and salt and set aside at room temperature.
Set the grill grate 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) above the embers — you should be able to hold your hand at grate height for 5–6 seconds. Rub the ribs all over with the coarse salt and lay them bone side down on the grill.
Cook the ribs slowly for 45–60 minutes, turning every 10–12 minutes, until the fat has rendered, the meat has pulled back from the bone ends and the surface is a deep mahogany crust. If fat drips and flares, slide the ribs to a cooler spot and add a little ash to the coals.
Add the chorizos and cook for 15–20 minutes, turning often, until they are evenly browned and firm and the juices run clear when pierced. Grill the morcilla alongside for 8–10 minutes, turning gently, until the skin is crisp and tight — do not pierce it or the filling will spill.
Lift the ribs onto a board and rest them for 5 minutes, then cut between the bones into thick strips. Slice the chorizos and morcilla into rounds.
Pile everything on a warm board or platter, spoon over some of the chimichurri and serve the rest in a bowl, with the ensalada criolla alongside.
Regional variant: Asado al asador (on iron skewers)
Instead of a grate, a butterflied side of lamb or a whole rack of ribs is impaled on two long iron skewers and leaned next to — never over — the fire, tilted toward the embers. It cooks by radiant heat for 2–4 hours, turned and moved closer or further from the fire as needed, and is seasoned with coarse salt alone. The result is a crisper, more deeply browned crust and meat that stays very juicy.
Cook's notes
- Feed the fire with a small log every so often as you cook; wood embers give the smoky flavour that charcoal alone cannot.
- Keep the seasoning to coarse salt only and add it at the grill — a marinade would mask the beef, which is the whole point of asado.
- Check the labels on chorizo and morcilla: some brands include bread or cereal fillers, which affects gluten-free cooking.
Serve with
Chimichurri, ensalada criolla and crusty bread, with a young Tannat or a chilled medio y medio.
Make ahead and storage
The ribs can be salted and refrigerated a few hours ahead and the chimichurri keeps 3 days in the fridge; asado is best eaten straight off the grill, though leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated.
