[Steven] To say that asado is Argentina's national pastime would be an understatement.

In this South American powerhouse, asado is more than Argentinian barbecue: it's a collective obsession and a way of life.

Whoo!

[Steven] Get ready for wood-grilled rib roast with chimichurri and salsa criolla.

Crusty, fat, rich, luscious, hint of smoke.

Meat crust pizza.

Mm.

That is fantastic.

[Al] It is, right?

[Steven] And a delectable change of pace: an Argentine meatless mix grill.

The cheese, audibly crisp on the outside, melty, ooey-gooey in the inside.

From the Spanish Governor's palace in San Antonio, Texas, I'm Steven Raichlen, and this is Planet Barbecue.

[opening theme music] [announcer] Steven Raichlen's "Planet Barbecue" is made possible by... [narrator 1] This is the Big Green Egg, where fire and flavor come together.

You can roast, bake, and sear with the versatility of a grill, oven, and barbecue smoker combined.

Locate a dealer at BigGreenEgg.com.

[narrator 2] Fire Magic, combining style with the versatility to sear, smoke, rotisserie cook, and charcoal grill.

Crafted in America for over 80 years.

[music] Shun Cutlery handcrafted in Japan.

[narrator 3] Father's Cooker, multi-fuel, multifunction.

[narrator 3] Argentine Beef proudly supports "Planet Barbecue."

[narrator 4] Truly wireless temperature starts with Maverick.

[announcer] And by the following: [crowd cheers] [Steven] When Lionel Messi led Argentina's soccer team to World Cup victory, he had a secret weapon: asados.

Thanks to these lavish barbecues, the players consumed more than 2,000 pounds of meat to fuel their victory.

Argentina's love affair with asado began with the gauchos, rugged cowboys, who settled the pampas to tend vast cattle herds, descendants of the steers brought here by the Conquistadors.

By the 20th century, asado had become not just a weekly barbecue, but a national obsession.

In time, these rustic gaucho cookouts evolved into lavish restaurants with industrial strength grills and table burying menus.

But the preparation remains simple: fire, salt, and perhaps a simple chimichurri sauce for serving.

The focus stays on the meat.

[upbeat music] Al Frugoni calls himself the 40 something TikTok-er.

With 1.8 million followers, his theatrical grilling videos have proven that TikTok isn't just for the young.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Alejo has been practicing the art of asado his whole life.

Open fire is not a way of cooking, it's a way of life.

-Amen.

-Amen.

Al, welcome to Planet Barbecue.

Thank you for having me.

So, what do you have for us today?

Okay.

Today, we're going to do a whole rib eye roast.

-Oh, my gosh.

-Yeah.

We're going to cook it whole.

We're going to hang it over the fire, and then we're going to cut it in two-inch steaks.

And then we're going to sear it with bourbon.

[Al] First, we're going to tie it up so it maintains the form, and then it's easy to hang it.

We need to tie it very good so when we turn it, it doesn't fall apart.

[Steven] That looks very professional.

Were you a butcher in a previous life?

[chuckles] No.

So how did you get into this, Al?

Being born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, it's part of your culture.

I grew up, my dad, had asados every Sunday.

Every Sunday.

My wife, she's from Texas.

So, we move in and we live in Argentina.

We start making asados at my dad's house.

After one month, she said, "Listen, don't take this the wrong way.

"I love your family, but every single Sunday, asado?

That's too much."

That's how we live in Argentina.

Weathermen in Argentina on television, they don't say whether it's raining or sunny.

They say whether it's good asado weather or bad asado weather.

[Al] Exactly, yeah.

Al, that is beautifully done.

Do you think so?

[Steven] I do.

So, you want to season it?

Sure.

It's a big piece of meat, so you can go heavy on the salt too.

And then freshly ground pepper?

-Yep.

-Yep.

Now, the fresh rosemary and thyme.

Look at that.

Isn't that beautiful?

This looks spectacular, and we haven't even cooked it yet.

Right.

Okay.

Now, we're going to put the hooks.

The key here is under the string.

[Steven] All right.

[Al] Then you can leave a little bit of meat here.

-Okay.

-You see?

Like that.

Perfect.

So okay, ready?

-I'm ready.

-To the grill.

Now, we're going to fix the fire, so we can cook evenly here.

Uh-huh.

There's some heat.

It's not a raging fire underneath it.

So, if you put your hand here, you have to count in your head.

One... Two, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five Mississippi, six Mississippi.

-Ouch.

-Exactly.

Six seconds is a medium heat.

That's perfect with this kind of cook.

If you overcook the first layer, it's going to seal the meat, and then you're going to have a piece of meat that is going to be well done on the sides and raw in the middle.

For open fire, I have three rules: patience, patience, patience.

[chuckling] I love that.

[Al] For me, it's everything about the process, right?

Cooking, being with friends, drinking, you know, chatting.

So, it's the process, not the destination.

Exactly.

[Steven] While the meat cooks, what's next?

[Al] We can start with the salsa criolla.

It's like same parts of tomato, onions and bell peppers.

So, here's diced onion, and bell peppers.

Now what?

Now, vinegar and oil.

-You tell me when.

-So, same parts.

[Al] Let's calculate.

Yeah, that's-- Good?

Then this is extra virgin olive oil.

Yes.

Perfect.

Yeah, I think it's enough.

Let's see.

And now salt and pepper to taste.

Well, here you go.

Let's try it.

Mm.

-It crunches.

-Yep.

Nice acidity.

It's going to be great with the meat.

Yes, it is.

So now, I want to check the meat, because this wind that picked up is going to affect our heat.

See, now?

You can count-- Yeah, it's not as hot.

It's not as hot, right?

We can lower it down a little bit.

All right.

See, check this out.

Yep.

So now-- See?

--we are back at the desired temperature.

-Six seconds.

-Very smart.

Okay, let's make the chimi.

Chimichurri.

-Yes.

-Okay.

[Steven] It starts with?

[Al] Parsley and fresh oregano.

Chop it as small as you can.

We're doing this by hand and not in the food processor.

I think it's illegal in Argentina to use a food processor.

Well, I do not want my passport taken away from me for my next trip to Argentina.

What's next?

Garlic.

Garlic.

So, what I do, I cut the garlic crosswise, and then I just smash the garlic like that.

All right, what goes in next?

[Al] Red chili flakes.

[Steven] Vinegar?

[Al] Vinegar, yeah.

And olive oil.

[Steven] And extra virgin olive oil.

Okay.

How's that?

Yeah, that's good.

[Steven] Great.

[Al] Salt and pepper to taste.

[Steven] Salt and pepper.

Let's mix this one with a whisk.

It smells so good.

Oh, it really does.

Fantastic.

What's next?

[Al] Let's check on the beef.

Let's do the first turn.

It's looking good, huh?

Oh, it looks fantastic.

One fourth rotation every 30, 40 minutes.

Take the hook out.

It's starting to brown on the bottom.

Check the temp again.

See how we are.

Pretty cool, right?

You think?

[Steven] Yeah, I got to about 10.

Maybe build it up a little bit.

[Al] Yeah, maybe add a little log.

Check the temp?

Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis.

Now, again, patience.

We have to wait 30 minutes, rotate again.

Another rotation in maybe one and a half hours.

Just relax and enjoy the process, like we said.

I can't wait.

[upbeat music] We've done four turns.

-Yes.

-Right.

[Steven] To me, it looks gorgeous.

[Al] It's ready to pull off.

[Steven] All right.

Let's put the plancha first so we start warming up.

Okay, let's pull the meat out.

What's the internal temperature you want?

It has to be between 90 and a hundred.

That's ideal.

All right, so 90, 91, 92.

Good.

That's exactly where we want it.

Here, sir-- Okay.

--are your weapons.

Okay.

Let's see how it looks.

Oh, beautiful.

Beautiful.

Rare, right?

Now we're going to cut it into steaks.

Look at that.

Okay, so those are the steaks.

Ready for the fun part?

Un huh.

Yeah, we need some oil there.

You ready?

Oh, that's a hot plancha.

Okay, ready?

[Steven] So, the idea here is you are searing these steaks?

[Al] Yes.

Keep all the moisture inside.

We're going to sear it for one minute.

-Okay.

-That's it.

Mm.

Look at that sear.

[Steven] Oh, man.

That looks fabulous.

Now, it's the perfect time for the bourbon.

All right.

[Al] Pour it.

Be careful.

[both chuckling] I'm glad I shaved today.

That's the marriage of Argentina and Texas.

[Al] Exactly, yeah.

[Steven] Oh, that looks amazing.

Well, Al, we've been patient, patient, patient.

Now let's eat, eat, eat.

Let's go.

Mm.

Oh, man.

That is really fantastic.

Crusty, fat, rich, luscious.

Hint of smoke.

Can you taste the bourbon?

I can taste the bourbon.

So, the bourbon wasn't just for show.

Nope.

[Steven] Mm.

It really doesn't need a sauce, but since we made it.

Can I give you some salsa criolla?

[Al] Yes.

[Steven] And some chimichurri?

[Al] Oh, yes.

Isn't this beautiful?

It's gorgeous.

Right?

Gorgeous.

Gorgeous.

A little chimi.

Mm.

I love the way the vinegar and the chimichurri cuts the richness of the meat.

Perfectly balanced.

Salsa Criolla.

[Steven] Mm.

Here for me, this is kind of as much about texture as it is about flavor.

It's cold, it's moist, it's crunchy.

Perfect counterpoint to the meat.

Al, this was a spectacular demonstration of asado, of Argentinian grilling.

That was a pleasure.

Al, when you first told me about meat pizza, I didn't know what to think, but apparently, it's a thing in Argentina, and apparently, it's a big thing on social media.

What is meat pizza?

Meat crust pizza originally is made of matambre.

Matambre is a cut of meat that is very difficult to find here in the U.S. because it's the first layer of the cow.

When they butcher the cow here, they cut it like that.

So, it's very difficult to find it here.

So, we are going to use a flank steak.

That's the most similar in texture, and it's also thin.

We need to-- -Butterfly it.

-Butterfly, yeah.

[Steven] Here goes.

So, I'm going to come in through the side trying to keep it flat with the palm of my hand.

Obviously, you need a very sharp knife for this.

You want to cut to the edge, but not through the edge, right?

[Al] Exactly.

You are an artist, my friend.

Oh.

Well, thank you.

Is that pretty good?

Yeah, it is.

I don't want to take it too much.

[Al] Yeah, that's perfect.

So, we're going to pound it a little bit.

There you go, sir.

[pounding] So, you're pounding it, to flatten it.

Yes.

But you're also tenderizing the meat.

[Al] Exactly.

You're going to make it more even too.

It's going to get bigger a little bit.

[pounding] What do you think?

I think it looks fantastic.

[pounding] [Al] Well, now we need to season.

The flavor is going to be on the pizza toppings, so we're just going to put like, salt and pepper.

Okay.

Perfecto.

Now, we're going to sear the first side.

Super hot, direct heat.

We're going to create that crust for a few minutes.

Okay.

And then when it's done, we're going to bring it back, and then we're going to put the toppings on.

[Steven] I set the grill up for you.

Half is direct grilling because you told me you wanted to sear the meat.

And the other half is indirect grilling with this heat diffuser plate between the fire and the grill grate.

[Al] Awesome.

To melt the cheese, right?

[Steven] To melt the cheese.

[Al] Perfect.

To oil your grate, we have a half onion.

I will dip it in oil, draw it across the bars and the grate.

Okay, ready?

We're going to put seasoned side down.

[Steven] Okay.

Beautiful.

That's perfect.

So, we're going to cook it like, I don't know, two to three minutes.

That's it.

Just until it's brown on the bottom?

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

Al, how do you know when it's time to take the pizza off?

Well, you can see all the juices coming out.

That means it's ready.

[Steven] Oh, yeah.

Nicely brown.

Okay.

Ready for the flip?

Yep.

[Steven] Beautiful.

Okay, what's the next step?

Okay.

Now, homemade tomato sauce and the toppings.

[Steven] Next?

[Al] Mozzarella di bufala.

Okay, pepperoni next.

You can put your olives if you want.

I'll put on olives because I love olives on a pizza.

[Al] Yeah.

A little splash of olive oil on top.

Okay, I'll get you the olive oil.

[Al] Yeah, a little splash.

How's that?

Perfect.

I know you like pepper, right?

Okay.

Just on top of the mozzarella.

Now what?

Back on the indirect side.

Close the lid now so we get radiant heat from the top as well as from the bottom.

Going open this up wide, so we get a nice blast of heat.

In a few minutes, we are eating.

Oh, man.

Okay.

Whoa, that is so cool.

The cheese is melted.

The edge of the pepperoni's just sizzling.

Okay.

Ah.

Amazing.

It's so beautiful, I don't want to eat it.

Fresh herbs.

[Al] Yep.

[Steven] Oregano leaves maybe.

And fresh basil.

I'm feeling another olive oil.

-I'm totally feeling it.

-Totally, right?

And that, my friends, is a meat pizza.

[Al] Awesome.

Do the honors?

Okay.

All right, let's try it.

Mm.

That is fantastic.

That is so cool.

[Al] It is, right?

All the flavors together.

This is a pizza for the gluten free crowd.

One-hundred percent.

Really delicious.

The meat is crusty at the edges.

Tomato sauce, bright, fresh herbs.

Salty olives.

-Yeah.

-Creamy cheese.

[Al] And the meat is juicy, right?

It's not dry at all.

Not overcooked, nope.

Not at all.

Perfect.

Al, thank you so much for joining us on Planet Barbecue, sharing your deep knowledge of Argentinian asado.

Keep on grilling.

Thank you for having me.

Argentinians have among the world's highest consumption of beef, so it's not surprising that this isn't the greatest place to be a vegetarian.

And yet even at the most hardcore steakhouses, a triumvirate of meatless dishes invariably greets diners.

The first are two vegetables: eggplants and peppers.

The third is an appetizer that takes grilled cheese to a whole new level.

Start with the eggplant.

Cut it crosswise into half inch slices.

And arrange the slices on a wire rack over a sheet pan.

Then sprinkle the eggplant slices with coarse sea salt.

This is called disgorging, and it helps rid the eggplant of any bitter juices.

Once salted on one side, turn the eggplants over and salt the other side the same way.

Let the eggplants disgorge for 30 minutes.

Next, make the garlic oil.

Break a head of garlic into cloves.

Lightly flatten each clove with the side of a knife to slip off the skin.

Then fry the garlic in extra virgin olive oil just until it starts to brown.

Once the garlic is fragrant and golden, take the oil off the heat.

Now, take three red bell peppers and paint them with garlic oil.

Place the bell peppers on the hot grill grate.

The idea is we want to roast them equally on all sides, so it's just a question of keeping the peppers moving while they roast.

Remember, at an Argentinian cookout, it's a whole afternoon's entertainment.

There's no need to rush.

Once the peppers are charred on all sides, return them to the sheet pan and let cool.

Here are your eggplants.

After 30 minutes, I rinse the salt off and just blot the eggplants dry.

Then we'll brush with more of this garlic oil.

Then season the eggplant slices with dried oregano... ...hot pepper flakes... ...and chopped flat leaf parsley.

Turn the eggplant slices over, and brush with garlic oil and season again.

Arrange the eggplant slices on the hot grill grate.

Grill the eggplant until sizzling and brown on both sides.

That'll be about three to five minutes per side.

Once the eggplant slices are brown on both sides and tender, ooh, nice and tender, transfer them to a serving platter.

So, there are your grilled eggplant.

Now, for the peppers.

Cut out the stem end and cut the pepper in half.

Then scrape out the seeds and turn the peppers over.

And you can scrape off any really burnt parts, but I like to leave a little char on the pepper.

It adds a smoky flavor.

Cut this in strips to make it easier to eat.

Then arrange your peppers on the platter.

And last but not least, the cheese.

Now, you want to use either provoleta or an aged provolone.

So, I'll place the cheese slices on a sheet pan, again, brush with our garlic oil.

And we'll season with oregano... ...hot pepper flakes... ...a little pepper, why not... ...and some paprika.

To grill the cheese, I'm using a plancha, a heated metal slab.

And to check the temperature, sprinkle it with a few drops of water.

If the water evaporates in a second or two, the plancha is ready.

We'll take the cheese.

Grill the cheese just until the bottom is browned and bubbling.

Then turn it over.

Once the cheese is crusty and sizzling on top and bottom, transfer it to the platter.

And there are your grilled eggplants, peppers, and cheese.

I'll just sprinkle the peppers with some toasted pine nuts.

A little parsley on the eggplant.

Now, for the best part of all: take an eggplant slice, a pepper slice, and some cheese.

Mm.

The eggplant is crusty on the outside, meltingly tender, subtly smoke flavored.

A great way to cook eggplant.

The peppers?

Mm.

Sweet, smoky, and I love that little pop of flavor from the pine nuts.

Mm.

The cheese, audibly crisp on the outside, melty, ooey-gooey on the inside, peppery and picante.

Argentina, land of beef eaters, also a vegetarian paradise.

I hope you've enjoyed our show on Argentinian fire.

We are Planet Barbecue.

Thanks for watching.

See you next time.

[announcer] For recipes, books, and more live fire cooking, visit StevenRaichlen.com.

You can also follow Steven Raichlen on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

Steven Raichlen's "Planet Barbecue" was made possible by... [narrator 1] This is the Big Green Egg, where fire and flavor come together.

You can roast, bake, and sear with the versatility of a grill, oven, and barbecue smoker combined.

Locate a dealer at BigGreenEgg.com.

[narrator 2] Fire Magic, combining style with the versatility to sear, smoke, rotisserie cook, and charcoal grill.

Crafted in America for over 80 years.

[music] Shun Cutlery handcrafted in Japan.

[narrator 3] Father's Cooker, multi-fuel, multifunction.

[narrator 3] Argentine Beef proudly supports "Planet Barbecue."

[narrator 4] Truly wireless temperature starts with Maverick.

[announcer] And by the following: I was so inspired by your rib eye.

I thought I would do something I bet you've never seen in Argentina.

-This is... -Oh, my.

...skirt steak on a pitchfork.

Season her up for me.

I'm sure I'd never seen this before.

[Steven] A little coarse sea salt.

[Al] No, you like a lot of pepper, right?

[Steven] Dried oregano, and hot pepper flakes.

We go over the fire.

What do you think?

[Al chuckles] Amazing.

It took all of six minutes to make.

That's incredible.

But of course, you need a pitchfork.