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    Home / Dinner / Asado Uruguayo

    Asado Uruguayo

    The Uruguayan barbecue — beef ribs cooked low and slow over glowing coals until the outside is crisp and the inside is smoky and spoon-tender.

    ⏱ 20 minPrep time
    🔥 3 hrsCook time
    🍽 6Servings
    🏷 DinnerCategory
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    In Uruguay, asado is a weekly ritual: the parrillero tends the fire for hours while family and friends gather around with a glass of wine or a thermos of mate. The purist approach is almost austere — just meat, salt, and time over wood coals, and the beef speaks for itself.

    Low coals, coarse salt, and a lot of patience

    Cooked over gentle indirect heat, the ribs develop a deep mahogany crust while the marbled interior stays juicy and intensely beefy, with a faint whisper of smoke in every bite. The fat renders until it is almost silky, and the thin cross-cut bones become the best part to gnaw on.

    Uruguayan recipes →

    Step by stepInstructions

    1. Light the charcoal in a chimney starter and let it burn until the coals are glowing with a light gray ash, about 30 minutes.
    2. Push the coals to one side of the grill to create a cooler indirect zone, scatter the hardwood chunks on top, and let the grill settle for 10 minutes.
    3. Season the ribs generously with coarse salt on both sides and lay them bone-side down on the cooler side of the grill, away from direct flame.
    4. Grill the chorizos over the hot side first, turning every 4 minutes for about 15 minutes, and serve them with bread while the ribs cook.
    5. Cook the ribs uncovered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, rotating the rack halfway through, until the meat is deeply browned and pulling back from the bones.
    6. Flip the ribs meat-side down for the final 20 minutes so the surface crisps and chars lightly at the edges.
    7. Move the ribs to a carving board, rest under foil for 10 minutes, then slice between the bones and serve with chimichurri or lemon and bread.

    💡 Chef tips & storage

    Resist the urge to flip constantly — Uruguayan asado cooks almost untouched on one side. Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated and are spectacular shredded into sandwiches the next day.

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    Recipe details

    Prep20 min
    Cook3 hrs
    Servings6
    CategoryDinner
    PublishedAugust 17, 2026
    Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

    Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

    Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

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