An Argentine asado uses no marinade at all, just salt, fire and patience
At a proper asado the meat gets salt and nothing else. The skill lies in the fire: the asador picks the right wood, keeps the meat at a careful distance from the coals, and stops dripping fat from making smoke. It usually takes about two hours, and the waiting is part of the event.
Asado is both a way of grilling and a social occasion across South America, above all in Argentina and Uruguay, and also in Paraguay, Chile and southern Brazil. A designated cook, the asador or parrillero, runs the fire, traditionally using charcoal from native trees such as quebracho or algarrobo; pine and eucalyptus are avoided because their resins smell strong. Uruguayans skip charcoal and grill straight over embers. Some cooks even clear coals from directly beneath the meat.
There are two main styles. Al asador, whole carcasses are splayed on metal crosses around a fire; a la parrilla, meat goes on a grill over formed coals. In Patagonia, whole lambs or pigs are roasted on a wooden stake driven into the ground beside live coals, a method called asado al palo.
The meal unfolds in courses. Quick items come first while slow cuts cook: chorizo, morcilla blood sausage, sweetbreads and other offal, often with grilled provolone, and chorizo tucked into bread becomes choripán. Ribs follow, then flank steak and matambre, perhaps chicken or young goat. Chimichurri, a mix of parsley, oregano, garlic and paprika in olive oil, or a tomato and onion salsa criolla goes on the offal, traditionally not on the steaks. Fresh fruit usually ends things.
The ritual has its gendered habits: salads have traditionally been made by women, at the gathering or at home, while men tend the meat. Neighbours have their own versions. Brazil's churrasco cooks faster, Mexico's carne asada uses marinated meat, and South Africans call their grilling a braai. The Philippine dish named asado, however, is a braise and a different thing entirely.
Source: Asado
