Argentina is famous for its tasty beef not just because of the quality of the meat itself but just as importantly, the method of cooking them. The Argentine asado (barbeque) uses sheer dry heat from the charcoals and then the key is slow cook the meat. Most of the parrillas (steakhouses) in the city offer the “a la parrilla” (on the grill) type of asado, but there is another style which actually has a more traditional root coming from the gaucho (Argentine cowboy) culture. This style is called “al asador“, where an entire piece of meat, usually it’s the rib cut called tira de asado, is secured on a spit with a crossbar and get slowly roasted on an open fire for hours (more specifically, no less than 4 hrs.). For many Argentines, that is the real deal of Argentine asado.
In the city of Buenos Aires, it is not that easy to find asado al asador due to limited space but when you head to el campo (countryside) at una estancia (ranch), or even to other provinces, like Patagonia, which are more wide open, they are a lot more common. Nevertheless, there are definitely restaurants in Buenos Aires that serve this gaucho-style of Argentine asado. (Some purists do not consider these establishments are offering the authentic asado, which is referred to as ‘asado a la estaca‘, because they are not cooked outside in an open space where the air and the wind play a big part in the cooking.)
As said before, since asado al asador requires a lot more space and much longer time to cook the meat, restaurants which offer it also serve asado a la parrilla, so when you find yourself at one of these places and want to try this specific type of asado, remember to tell the waiter that you want el asado al asador when you order.
So here, without further ado, is a list of Buenos Aires restaurants that serve this gaucho-style asado:
Estilo Campo Alicia M. de Justo 1840, Puerto Madero http://www.estilo-campo.com.ar/
Las Nazarenas Reconquista 1132, Retiro http://lasnazarenas.com.ar/
La Chacra Av. Córdoba 941, Centro http://www.lachacra.com.ar/
La Estancia Lavalle 941, Centro http://www.asadorlaestancia.com.ar/
Lo de Rosendo Castro Barros 502, Almagro http://www.loderosendo.com.ar/
La Tranquera Av. Figueroa Alcorta 6464, Belgrano http://www.latranqueraasador.com/
