Argentine Asado

I am planning a big bbq party for over 30 people and wanted to use the menu for a Sunday asado from a new book called Seven Fires-Grilling the Argentine Way by Francis Mallmann. Not surprisingly, the shopping list calls for a lot of meat. To be exact, a whole standing rib roast, sirloin tri-tip and short ribs, meaty ones cut about 3 inches long. It also calls for sausages which I have covered. The question I am facing is where to get the beef without going into bankruptcy. I have considered some of the meat markets on Lake street or Randolph but have seen posts where folks have been disappointed. One alternative I was thinking about was approaching the manager at one of the Mexican markets who may be more familiar with the Argentine cuts and who go through a lot of meat, selling at a reasonable price. In any event, I am looking for any suggestions as I don't want to buy all that meat and have my guests wrestling with stringy, gristly meat. Any help would be appreciated.

FWIW, as a half-Argentine, I have tended to prefer stringy, gristly beef - and find it to be more authentic (short ribs, cut the Korean way, and skirt steak - which both tend towards that direction - along with Argentine chorizo are what I remember from a BA grill-out with family.)

That being said, I think Costco is the general consensus for cheap and good rib roasts, but it'll still cost ya. Arrachera and Costillas de Res at a Mexican grocery will be cheap and easy to use, and authentic. Not sure which will be the best, but be aware that they are often sold pre-marinated in Adobo, which you might want to avoid in this case. Or you could go to H-Mart and get huge tubs of the frozen short ribs cut the correct way (I think they have skirt steak as well, and you can get very thinly-sliced ribeye very cheap, but it won't be cut the way you want)

I don't believe there's a dedicated thread on it here (although it's been mentioned often enough) but I'd highly recommend checking out El Mercado if you're planning an Argentine Asado.

It's the butcher shop/market attached to Tango Sur, which just happens to be an Argentine steakhouse. The meat counter in the back is basically Tango Sur's prep-kitchen. I'm pretty sure you'll have no trouble finding the Argentine cuts you're looking for there.

I buy virtually all my meat there. In addition to pork products, you can regularly get quality grass fed Argentine beef of all shapes, sizes and cuts there at or under $10 a lb. They also sell super high quality handmade sausages (a beef/pork mix and also a blood sausage). I'm quite sure you'll be able to get sweetbreads there too, although I've never tried. They also sell their house Chimichurri at the counter.

Most of the cuts listed on the board are in Spanish, which sounds like it won't be a problem for you if you're going off of Mallmann's book and/or you speak the language. There's usually about a 75% chance that the guy behind the counter speaks English. As a non-Spanish speaker I've never had too much trouble, though. Despite the occasional language barrier, the enthusiasm of the staff coupled with a general knowledge of what various cuts looks like almost always gets me what I want.

Last note is that it's cash only.


El Mercado
3767 N Southport Avenue
(between Grace St & Waveland Ave)
(773) 477-5020

Be sure to check out the excellent beef selection at Chicago Meat. I think you'll find everyitng you need there at near wholesale prices.

Chicago Meat
3021 N Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 777-7116‎

MrBarossa wrote:In addition to pork products, you can regularly get quality grass fed Argentine beef of all shapes, sizes and cuts there at or under $10 a lb. ...

El Mercado
3767 N Southport Avenue
(between Grace St & Waveland Ave)
(773) 477-5020

Is that new? I thought you could just get cuts similar to those used in Argentina, but that beef itself at el Mercado was USA domestic.

Kennyz wrote: Is that new? I thought you could just get cuts similar to those used in Argentina, but that beef itself at el Mercado was USA domestic.

Kennyz:

Now that you mention it, in truth, I guess I don't know this to be the case for absolute certainty. I've always believed it was so because: A) last time I ate at Tango Sur which, admittedly, was a while ago, the menu stated the beef was grass fed Argentine beef; and B) There is some form of very old sign/sticker on the meat counter which says something to the effect of at least endorsing the stuff.

I have never inquired with the butchers beyond those two bits of information. For all I know, they may have changed their supply and/or they never served the real thing and only hinted that they did. I guess I never really thought about it until now, but I've always assumed it to be the case. In any event, I don't purport to be such a meat expert that I could independently verify without asking.

For whatever it's worth, then, I guess I'd say that, wherever it comes from, I've been very pleased with the quality of their meat. It has the attributes of what I generally associate with grass fed/free range beef (i.e., leaner and a more "mineraly" taste for lack of a better word). In fairness, that could be the power of suggestion though. Next time I'm there I'll ask if I can, but I'll probably keep buying there regardless. The quality to pricepoint ratio is just too good in my opinion. Living around the corner certainly helps too.

They purport to sell Argintine beef at Mercado and have for some time. I say you walk in and ask to see zee papers.

To be fair, it hasn't always been crystal clear to me what's Argentine as opposed to US behind the counter; they very clearly have both at the restaurant.

For a while it wasn't Argentine, due to mad cow fears. I think it was Australian. It may be Argentine again, you'd have to ask.

I just wanted to thank everyone who posted to my question. I took their suggestions and wanted to let everyone know that we just had a pretty amazing Chicago version of an Aregentine Asado. I checked out the Mercado market next to Tango Sur and found the gentleman behind the counter super-helpful. He had all the meats we were looking to buy, but I do not live nearby so with a big party I was not able to head back to stock up. I would, however, encourage everyone to check out the store--very unique products. And try the homemade empanadas. They were great, as were the cookies.

We ultimately loaded up on our meat at three locations. 1. Costco--purchased tri-tip, two boneless legs of lamb and a boneless full rib roast. 2. Caputo's cheese market in Melrose park for sausages--Barese and hot italian. 3. Farmer's fresh market in Northlake; on North Avenue, facing Home Depot. Delicious thick cut (2 1/2 to 3 inches long) beef ribs. They also provided what I needed to make the Chimmichuri (sp) which turned out fantastic.

All the meat was seasoned with just salt water sprinkled on while cooking (1 tsp per cup of water) It all came out great--feeding 30 hungry meat lovers.