Argentinian Asado phrases and words in English
The asado is so much more than a barbecue — it's the beating heart of Argentine social life, a slow Sunday ritual where the fire, the meat and the sobremesa matter as much as the food. Learn the language of the parrilla and you unlock both the food and the culture: the cuts, the etiquette, and a wave of juicy Rioplatense slang (plus that famous voseo — 'querés', 'tirá'). Read these ten and you'll be ready to hold your own around any grill in Buenos Aires.
10 phrases · meanings & example sentences
“El asador”
The asador is the person running the fire — the grill master, the host's most honored role. It's not just a cook; it's a position of trust and pride, and Argentines take it seriously. Notice it's a noun for a role (like 'el cocinero'), and the same word can also mean the grill setup itself.
- Hoy el asador soy yo. — Today I'm the one running the grill.
- El asador no se toca. — Don't mess with the grill master.
- ¿Quién es el asador hoy? — Who's manning the grill today?
“La parrilla”
The parrilla is the grill itself — the metal grate over the coals — but it's also the word for a steakhouse, a place you go to eat grilled meat. So 'vamos a una parrilla' means 'let's go to a grill restaurant'. One of the most useful words in Argentina, covering both your backyard and a night out.
- La carne ya está en la parrilla. — The meat's already on the grill.
- Conozco una parrilla buenísima en San Telmo. — I know a great steakhouse in San Telmo.
- Limpiá la parrilla antes de empezar. — Clean the grill before you start.
“Las brasas”
Las brasas are the glowing embers — the real secret of a good asado, since Argentines cook over coals, never open flame ('a las brasas' means 'over the coals'). The skill is in managing the heat, so you'll hear endless debate about whether there are enough brasas. Teaches you that good asado is about patience, not fire.
- Hay que esperar a que se hagan las brasas. — We have to wait for the embers to be ready.
- Faltan brasas de este lado. — There aren't enough coals on this side.
- Pollo a las brasas, mi favorito. — Charcoal-grilled chicken, my favorite.
“El choripán”
A genius mashup of 'chorizo' + 'pan' (bread) — a grilled sausage in a crusty roll, usually the first thing off the grill while the real meat cooks. It's street food, stadium food, and the appetizer of every asado, ideally smothered in chimichurri. Learn this and you've learned how Argentines love to squash two words into one.
- Arrancamos con un choripán. — Let's start with a choripán.
- El choripán con chimichurri es imbatible. — A choripán with chimichurri is unbeatable.
- Compré choris para hacer choripanes. — I bought sausages to make choripanes.
“Tirá unos choris”
Pure Rioplatense voseo: 'tirá' is the 'vos' command form of 'tirar' (to throw), where the stress lands on the last syllable instead of the standard 'tira'. Literally 'throw on some sausages', it's how you tell the asador to get the chorizos cooking. A perfect, casual phrase that instantly shows you know the voseo and the ritual.
- Dale, tirá unos choris que tengo hambre. — Come on, throw on some sausages, I'm hungry.
- Tirá la provoleta también. — Put the provolone on too.
- Cuando estén las brasas, tirá la carne. — When the coals are ready, put the meat on.
“La provoleta”
A thick disc of provolone cheese grilled until it's crispy outside and melting inside, sprinkled with oregano — an iconic Argentine asado starter. The '-eta' is an affectionate, distinctly Argentine twist on 'provolone'. If you only learn one vegetarian-friendly asado word, make it this one; everyone fights over it.
- La provoleta se come bien calentita. — Provoleta is best eaten piping hot.
- Pongo la provoleta de entrada. — I'll put the provoleta on as a starter.
- Se me derritió toda la provoleta. — My provoleta completely melted away.
“¿Cómo lo querés?”
'How do you want it?' — the asador's classic question about how done your meat should be, again using the voseo 'querés' instead of 'quieres'. The answers are a vocabulary lesson in themselves: 'jugoso' (juicy/rare), 'a punto' (medium), 'cocido' or 'bien cocido' (well done). Master this exchange and you can order steak like a local anywhere.
- ¿Cómo lo querés, jugoso o a punto? — How do you want it, rare or medium?
- Yo lo quiero bien jugoso. — I want it really rare.
- Lo querés cocido, ¿no? — You want it well done, right?
“El vacío y la tira de asado”
The two signature cuts of an Argentine asado: 'el vacío' is flank/flap steak, prized for flavor, and 'la tira de asado' is short ribs cut across the bone — so essential the whole event is named after it. Learning these saves you from ordering the wrong thing, since Argentine cuts don't map neatly onto English ones. Bonus: 'la entraña' (skirt steak) is the other cut every meat-lover orders.
- El vacío salió perfecto. — The flank steak came out perfect.
- Pedí tira de asado y entraña. — I ordered short ribs and skirt steak.
- El vacío es mi corte preferido. — Flank steak is my favorite cut.
“El chimichurri”
The legendary Argentine sauce — parsley, garlic, oregano, chili flakes, vinegar and oil — spooned over grilled meat and choripán. It's the flavor most people associate with Argentine cooking abroad, and every family swears their recipe is the real one. Knowing the word (and that 'salsa criolla', a tomato-onion relish, is its common companion) makes you fluent in the asado table.
- Pasame el chimichurri, por favor. — Pass me the chimichurri, please.
- Hice chimichurri casero. — I made homemade chimichurri.
- La carne con chimichurri es otra cosa. — Meat with chimichurri is a whole other level.
“La sobremesa”
Maybe the most beautiful word here: the sobremesa is the long, lingering conversation you have at the table after the meal is done — no rushing, just coffee, wine and talk for hours. It has no real English equivalent, which tells you everything about Argentine culture and its love of being together. After a good asado, the sobremesa is often the best part.
- Nos quedamos de sobremesa hasta la noche. — We lingered at the table chatting until nightfall.
- La sobremesa fue más larga que el asado. — The after-meal chat lasted longer than the asado itself.
- Me encanta la sobremesa de los domingos. — I love the Sunday after-lunch conversations.
