Fire Cooking a Traditional Argentinian Asado

A tribute to the cuisine and Gaucho style of Francis Mallmann, in celebration of a friend's birthday

I’ve never been to Argentina, but have long admired the rugged lifestyle of the hardworking gauchos. As a country, it’s rich in resources and talented people. One of those people is Francis Mallmann, the star chef who captivated me in a Chef’s Table Netflix episode. He’s a master of fire cooking with wood, in his restaurants and in the outdoors — wood fire cooking is the most primitive and fundamental kind of cooking. I watched a number of his shows and own three of his books, which I reviewed for ideas. It’s a philosophy of cooking with fire and I believe many people will embrace this in the future.

If you want to slow your life down and enjoy it more, cook with wood. A proper meal will take 4-5 hours as the fire progresses, giving character to each course and plenty of time for deep conversations. I used to have a house with a wood fired pizza oven and after a few years of working it, I learned a tiny bit about the craft and temperament it takes to pull off cooking this way. There is a reason Italian meals take 4-5 hours, starting with pizza (when the oven is fresh and hot ~800F), as the oven cools in an hour or two, you roast meats and vegetables and finally perhaps a panne cotta or galette can be baked after three or four hours. Meals traditionally followed the progress of the wood fire over hours because that’s what they had to cook with and that style of sit down meal became a social structure. Antipasti - Primi - Secondi - Dolci. Argentinian Asado follows a similar format and philosophy, driven by the life of the fire and the grill or plancha (wood fire griddle made of cast iron).

Cooking on cast iron plancha (griddle) and grilling imparts a crust to the finished meats, vegetables and even fruit (the pineapple was so memorable). Even if it burns a touch, that’s all part of the character.

I’ve concluded the gaucho style is perfect for Northern California rural properties, it’s a perfect match for the foods we can grow and make here. It’s a tradition we should embrace.

“My life has been a path at the edge of uncertainty”

— Francis Mallmann

Having been in the wine industry for a bit (wine.com), I knew how great Argentinian wines were — they have developed into their own style and personality, not just imitations of the European greats. These are wines that reflect true terroir and the character of their makers. I quit drinking wine when I took up Falun Dafa meditation sixteen years ago, but I know my friends still enjoy wine — this was a chance to show them some great wines and food during a nice afternoon and evening to help a dear friend celebrate her birthday,

To plan this event, I started with the wine list. I wanted a range of wines that would enhance the food, give us something to talk about and take everyone’s mind to a new place they might not have been before. I also wanted an affordable price range, with a couple of ringers ($$$) to show off the top end. Low and high.

The plan for the meal was simple and we used recipes from Mallmann’s “On Fire” cookbook (LINK on Amazon HERE). The wines paired were purchased from K and L Wines LINK, they should still be available. Ratings and reviews for the wines from the K and L web site are HERE.

-Welcome. Wine and small appetizers.

• 2021 Montesco "Agua de Roca" Sauvignon Blanc San Pablo - Uco Valley

• 2021 Bodega Chacra "Mainqué" Chardonnay Rio Negro

-Salads (Fig with burrata salad - made by Christina, and beet salad, tomato and avocado salad both made by Julie - all amazing!)

• 2022 Susana Balbo "Brioso" Uco Valley White Blend

• 2020 Catena Zapata "White Stones - Adrianna Vineyard" Chardonnay (a “ringer”)

-Grill (vegetables, smashed potatoes, pork and beef)

• 2018 Ver Sacrum "Gloria S." Garnacha Chacayes (red)

• 2019 Catena Zapata "Nicolás Catena Zapata" Bordeaux Blend Mendoza

• 2020 Susana Balbo "Brioso" Red Mendoza

-Desert (grilled pineapple and frozen custard “French Vanilla Style” with blueberries)

• Six Grape Porto (sprinkled over the pineapple)

Susanna Balbo is a very talented winemaker in Argentina. We had two of her wines, this one a white blend, which is outstanding with food. This was the favorite of many guests and it runs about $26 at K and L. A great value and delicious wine.

This was our star white, the most expensive and highest rated. It did not disappoint. ($95)

The “Gloria S” was the star red for many, a Garnache from Ver Sacrum. ($30) Really wonderful with food. That’s an Edward Steichen portrait of Gloria Swanson on the label - so cool. She was a famous film star of the silent era (1920’s), with a very memorable performance in the great 1950 film “Sunset Boulevard” with William Holden.

One of the heavy hitters, we decanted this Catena Zapata for a couple of hours to get it to open up. This wine will age for another two decades comfortably.

A red from Susana Balbo. Very strong and stands up to the red meat. I’m a fan of her wines, both red and white were very popular with everyone.

The setting was a beautiful Northern California day on our deck… we started about 3pm and things ran until about 9pm.

Because we didn’t have a wood pit and grill set up, we put a “plancha” cast iron grill plate on top of our 30 inch natural gas fired BBQ. We got one of these griddles from Amazon Camp Chef Reversible Pre-seasoned Cast Iron Griddle, Cooking Surface 16" x 24" ($75).

Gas has the advantage of not having to tend to the fire, but you do lose the wonderful wood smoke flavors. This is why it’s called “cooking with gas”!

Dining outdoors Argentina Asado style, but in California. The relaxed pace and fine weather was comfortable and unrushed.

Fig, burrata and basil salad was gone in a minute. Not a shred left. It was delicious.

Beef was hanger steaks served with Mallmann’s chimichurri. Nothing goes better with beef than a good chimi. Hangers are an excellent alternative to more expensive cuts.

This pork was the star of the night, in my opinion. I took a photo from the “On Fire” book to the meat counter at Nugget Markets and they created steaks from a shoulder “butt” roast that were about 3/4 inch. This is an amazing, economical and delicious choice. I placed rosemary and some garlic powder on the griddle along with lots of olive oil. The crust on the pork is generated within about 5-8 minutes per side.

Mixed grilled veges (red “torpedo” onions, asparagus and carrots).

The smashed potatoes were a hit. We used Yukon Gold with olive oil and rosemary. Cooked on the griddle until crunchy, then only flipped once. No flip flopping.

Pineapples were peeled with top and bottom sliced off. Roasted to a golden brown for about 45 minutes.

The final plated grilled pineapple desert with Umpqua French Vanilla ice cream and fresh blueberries. A tiny amount of port was sprinkled over the pineapple.

The evening was a big success. I’m hoping my readers get a chance to cook even one of these recipes and enjoy the traditions of this fine culture.