Seasoning The Meat

There are no rules on what, how, or when regarding the seasoning of meats for an asado. All of it depends on personal preference but those preferences can be strong. In Argentina, you won’t find tens or hundreds of different commercial brands of marinades, rubs, and sauces lining the supermarket shelves. Most Argentineans like simple, yet sometimes complex, seasonings to compliment the asado meat, not overpower it.

The first and foremost seasoning is salt. For most regular meats, many believe only salt should be used so as not to destroy the flavors of the meat. Many times not even black pepper is added. Actually if you go to almost any Argentinean restaurant you’ll have to ask for pepper since many only offer a salt shaker on the table. When to salt the meat is a common debate among asado enthusiasts. There are purists who believe that salt should be added to the meat only when the meat is ready to be consumed on the plate. Some say salt should be added to the meat before cooking in order to tenderize the meat better. Others say salt dries out the meat and therefore should only be added near the end of the cooking process. The choice, however, is up to you.

For meats that need an extra twist or for those cooks that want to add a little extra kick, adobos are used to marinate the meat before or during the cooking process. Adobo is simply any kind of sauce or marinade. They can range from a simple mixture of lemon juice and oil to mixtures of various herbs, spices, and vegetables. Adobos are used to help tenderize and flavor meats that may be too tough or gamy tasting. The variety of herbs and spices used in Argentinean cuisine are quite limited. Therefore, the difference lies either in quantities or omissions. This is partly due to cultural and historical reasons as well as access and farming. However, in recent years many chefs are starting to mix in influences from other parts of the world that were not as familiar beforehand.

The king of all sauces and marinades is the chimichurri. This is used as a marinade before cooking, a basting sauce, and a dressing sauce at the table. Typically, this is the only popular sauce found on the table for an asado. Chimichurri sauce is similar to some adobos but it has a more complex texture and taste. While adobos are usually prepared on the spot to marinate the meat, chimichurri is usually prepared ahead of time, from a day or more before use, to allow the flavors to mesh together.