The Asado de Tira — short ribs cut thin across the bone — is the cornerstone of Argentine barbecue. Every parrilla in Buenos Aires has it on the grill. Every Argentine knows the smell. But when most Americans cook it, they rush it, and that's where it all goes wrong.

Start with the right cut

Asado de Tira is cut across the rib bones, not along them. You get a long strip with 3-4 small bones running through it. Our cuts come from pasture-raised Black Angus — the fat content and flavor are completely different from what you'd find at a grocery store. That fat is your friend. Don't trim it.

The fire is everything

You need wood coals, not gas. Build your fire 45 minutes before you cook. Let the wood burn down to glowing embers with no open flame. The grill should be about 8-10 inches above the coals. If you can hold your hand there for 4-5 seconds, you're in the right zone.

Low, slow, and patient

Place the ribs bone-side down. Salt generously — coarse kosher salt, nothing else. Walk away. Don't touch it for 20 minutes. The Argentine way is patience. This is not a hot-and-fast cook. You're looking at 45-60 minutes total, flipping once halfway through.

How to know it's done

The fat should be rendered and slightly crispy. The meat should pull easily from the bone but still have texture. Rest it for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with chimichurri and crusty bread. That's it. That's the whole thing.

Order our Asado de Tira from the menu — free delivery on orders over $200 across NY, NJ & PA.

In Argentina, Sunday without a parrilla is not a Sunday. The whole week builds toward it. Someone lights the fire in the morning. The family shows up around noon. The first round of chorizo hits the grill by 1pm. And nobody eats until the pitmaster says it's ready.

What parrilla actually means

Parrilla (pronounced pah-REE-yah) means grill in Spanish — but in Argentina it refers to the entire culture of wood-fire cooking, not just the equipment. The parrillero (the grill master) is a respected figure. Reading the fire, managing the coals, knowing when each cut is ready — these are skills passed down through generations.

The setup

A traditional Argentine parrilla uses a raised iron grate over wood coals. The height of the grate is adjustable — lower for searing, higher for slow cooking. No gas. No shortcuts. The wood burns down to coals before any food goes on. This process alone takes 45 minutes. That's the point. The fire deserves respect.

The order of the asado

A proper Argentine asado has a sequence. It starts with the achuras — offal cuts like mollejas (sweetbreads) and morcilla (blood sausage). Then chorizo. Then the bigger cuts come on: asado de tira, vacío, entraña. The meal unfolds over 3-4 hours. Nobody is in a rush.

Why we do it here

Santise Meat Co. was born from this tradition. Our parrilla in Long Island runs the same way it did back home. When you order from us, you're not just getting beef — you're getting the cuts that have fed Argentine families for generations, raised right here in Pennsylvania and cooked the way they were meant to be cooked.

Two Argentine icons. Two completely different experiences. If you're new to Argentine beef, these are the two cuts you need to understand first — and choosing between them comes down to what kind of cook you are and what kind of meal you want.

Entraña — The skirt steak

The Entraña is the skirt steak, cut from the diaphragm muscle. It's thin, intensely flavored, and cooks fast — 3-4 minutes per side over high heat. The texture is loose and fibrous, which means it soaks up chimichurri beautifully. It's the cut you cook on a Tuesday night when you want something incredible in 10 minutes. Always cut it against the grain. Always.

Bife de Chorizo — The strip steak

Don't be confused by the name — no pork involved. Bife de Chorizo is Argentina's version of a NY strip, cut thicker and with more fat cap. It's the premium steak, the centerpiece of the asado. You cook it slower, let the fat render, build a crust. It's a 20-minute cook minimum. The payoff is a rich, deeply beefy steak with a fat cap that melts in your mouth.

So which one?

Get the Entraña if: you want maximum flavor fast, you love chimichurri, you're cooking for a crowd on a weeknight.

Get the Bife de Chorizo if: you want to impress someone, you have time to do it right, you appreciate marbling and fat.

Honestly? Get both. That's what we'd do.

Both cuts are available fresh from our menu — raised on our Pennsylvania ranch, delivered to NY, NJ & PA.