Ken Barger, a nice gentleman in Panama, emailed me a while back with some questions about building a parrilla-smoker hybrid. Since I had never built a parrilla before, I could only offer a few tips and suggestions from what I have learned over the years in addition to some of the specs from my parrilla. Well, Ken has finally finished his parrilla and, wow, did he do an excellent job at that! As you can see in the photos after the jump, in addition to cooking by means of a typical brick-concrete parrilla design, he can attach a rotisserie bar or a removable smoking box when needed.

Update: Due to some file compatibility issues, I failed to see the text that Ken originally attached to his photos. Issue resolved and the text has been added.

Update 2: Added some drawings.

…

As I have mentioned a few times before, it’s not surprising to see a few antipasto appetizers offered to those who need to calm their hunger pangs until the time comes to serve meat at an asado. Hard salami, artisanal cheese loaded with black peppercorns or ají molido, and pickled artichoke hearts are just a few. Pickled, brined, or marinated fruits and vegetables may even show up on the …

Except for perhaps restaurant coverage, when the topic of food in Argentina is covered by guide books, travel articles, and blogs the authors usually stick to the usual suspects like beef and huge steaks, pizza, pasta, and empanadas. I guess I’m not helping too much with a site that is largely dedicated to cooking beef and asados but, you know, that has always been the mission of this site. Therefore, I’m going to go off topic here …

Let all of us know! I have been thinking about building a directory list of sorts for some time but it has always been on the back burner (just like everything else!). Time to whip something up.

So, if you would be so kind, help your fellow asado lovers out and let us all know where you, your family, or your friends can acquire–or have acquired–Argentinean cuts of meat outside of Argentina. Can be a butcher from Argentina who set up shop in Thailand or a Latin American grocer in the U.S.. Just some place where if you walk …

You might have a hard time finding buñuelos de espinaca on the menus of restaurants in Argentina but once in a while, for some, they can be part of a lunch or dinner or, simply act as a savory snack to kill the hunger. If you know someone who hates spinach, give them a taste of these and I’m sure they will change their mind.

Sometimes I wonder how many countries or cultures there are in the world that do not have some sort of rice pudding dish as part of their cuisine. In Argentina, bring up arroz con leche and someone is sure to declare that their abuela (grandmother) or mother has the best recipe. Some may stick to the basics of milk, rice, sugar, and salt. Others may add a splash of vanilla extract, a pinch of …

Tapa de nalga (top round cap/topside cap) is the cap of the top round cut that comes from the round primal cut. The various cuts from the round primal are fairly tough and lack intra-muscular fat, therefore, are better off left to slow cooking. Due to the lack of fat, round’s cuts are great for milanesas or beef jerky and top round in particular is a good subsitute …

Some friends recently finished an extension to their house in order to have an area for an indoor parrilla and extra storage space. I guess you could call the new room a quincho garage. Anyway, they wanted to break in the new grill and what better way to do that than invite a group of friends and co-workers over for a big asado–about 15 of us in total.

Perhaps some great news for those who bombard me with questions about how to acquire certain types of grills, ideal for asado, in the U.S.. Well, at least the news should be good for those who have been looking for simple or adjustable features in a grill.

Milanesa, to put it simply, is Latin America’s version of cotoletta and wiener schnitzel. Thin slices of veal or beef tenderized with plenty of whacks from a mallet, dunked in beaten eggs, liberally coated with bread crumbs–perhaps mixed with a little parsley and garlic, and finally fried in hot oil. In Argentina they can be found on the menus of most restaurants offering national cuisine, sold as ready-to-cook in butcher shops and supermarkets, or made from scratch by the family chef …