Parrillada is an Argentinian dish that consists of an assortment of asado meats and offal. It consists of cheaper cuts of meat, which are picked by a parrillero. But, when you order a parrillada, you will get a bit of everything — chinchulines and molleja, sausages like chorizo and morcilla, flank steak, and ribs. Of course, with the platter of meats, sausages, and offal, come accompaniments like chimichurri, grilled vegetables, and salads, such as mixed salad and Russian salad.
Bife de chorizo is an Argentinian beef cut equivalent to the US New York strip steak, strip steak, sirloin, and top loin traditionally used for asado. It is a thick, juicy steak with a sizable layer of fat on top. It comes in several varieties, namely the bife de chorizo angosto (thin sirloin) and the bife de chorizo mariposa (butterflied sirloin). And if you want to judge the quality of someone’s barbecue or the quality of a barbecue place, ask for this steak. Also, if you get one with more than a generous amount of fat, know you've been served a cheap and bad-quality one.
Cordero al palo is a traditional lamb specialty that involves roasting a whole lamb on a spit, a cooking technique which has long been practiced in Chile and Argentina (especially Patagonia). The lamb is slowly cooked for several hours over a wood fire, all the while basting in its own juices and fat, resulting in succulent and tender meat surrounded by crispy skin. While cooking, the meat is often enhanced with a mixture of warm water, salt, and garlic. The dish can be found on the menus of numerous restaurants throughout the region, and it is typically served with pebre, a popular Chilean condiment. Other typical accompaniments to this dish include boiled potatoes, fresh salads, bread, and lots of fine red wine. This spit-roasted lamb delicacy is nowadays usually prepared on special occasions and for holidays.
Considered an epitome of Argentinean gastronomy and culture, asado (lit. roast; roasted) is much more than merely a meal. In Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and in a number of other South American countries, it is both a culinary and social event attended by friends and family to share the joy of outdoor cooking. Asado traditionally features a wide selection of grilled meats, mainly beef, which Argentina is most known for. The meat is cooked on a special brick-built grill called la parrilla, and the fire can either be made with charcoal (parrilla al carbón) or wood (parrilla a leña) which is more typical for the countryside and known as asado criollo, a term that indicates a more rustic, traditional style of grilling. First to go on the grill are chorizos (pork sausages), morcillas (blood sausages), and achuras (offal), followed by thinner beef cuts such as matambre (rose) and entraña (skirt steak), which are to be grilled hot and fast, as they would otherwise dry out. As for all the other juicy asado meats, they are grilled to perfection over fuego lento or slow fire. Some of the most popular cuts include bife de chorizo (sirloin), tira de asado (beef chuck ribs, flanken-style), bife ancho (Argentine ribeye), bife angosto (striploin), bife de costilla (T-bone or porterhouse), lomo (tenderloin), cuadril (rump), and vacio (flank steak). Lastly, apart from various side dishes and salads, the delicious asado meats are traditionally accompanied and doused with two sauces: chimichurri and salsa criolla.
Milanesa napolitana is a traditional Argentine dish originating from Buenos Aires. It consists of a milanesa steak that's breaded, fried, then topped with a slice of ham, tangy tomato sauce, and thick slices of mozzarella, which will melt under the broiler. It is typically served with french fries on the side. If there are any leftovers, they can be used to make delicious sandwiches called sánguche de milanesa. Milanesa napolitana was supposedly invented in the 1930s or 1940s in a restaurant called Nápoli, hence the name.
Typically seasoned only with salt, then grilled for a few minutes, tira de asado is a famous Argentine dish consisting of long strips of grilled beef ribs. The beef is cross-cut in a way that the long strips of meat are interspersed with knots of rib bone, which are useful as they shorten the tough fibers of this cut of meat, making it suitable for grilling instead of being slowly cooked like in America. For the best results, pair the ribs with what else than the garlicky chimichurri sauce, a staple at most Argentine barbecues.
Often referred to as Argentina's unofficial national dish, milanesa is a humble, yet delicious meal consisting of a breaded slice of prime beef that is fried in hot oil, curling up as it cooks, due to the fact that the chosen cuts of meat have less fat and sinew than other cuts. The dish shares many similarities with the Austrian Wiener schnitzel and the American chicken fried steak. However, milanesa has its roots in Italy, and the original dish has been traced to the city of Milan and the famous cotoletta alla milanese. Some claim that the best milanesa in Buenos Aires will always be prepared at home, cooked by someone's mother, although many restaurants also have it on their menus. For the pure, basic experience, it is enough to squeeze some lemon juice over it, but it is often served with a side of creamy mashed potatoes or french fries, while one of the most popular varieties is called a caballo (on horseback), where a fried egg is placed on top of the meat.
Vacío is an Argentinian beef cut that comes from the flank of the cow. The outer layer has fat, unlike the inside one, and turns incredibly crispy when cooked. This cut is a rare find outside of Argentina and benefits from long and slow cooking. The cut can be divided into a thick, meaty part usually served in a sandwich called vaciopán, and a thin, fatty part called matambre, which can be prepared in many ways, either grilled, stuffed and rolled, or topped with tomato sauce and cheese similar to pizza.
Cordero patagónico al asador is a Patagonian meat delicacy consisting of a whole, opened, and butterflied lamb roasted over an open fire. The lamb is attached to an iron cross, and it is then placed near the fire, slightly angled in order to slowly cook to perfection. A mixture of water, salt, garlic, and aromatic herbs and spices such as oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves is used for basting the meat while it is roasting. After several hours of cooking, the meat comes off the cross with a nice, crispy exterior and a succulent, tender interior. Slices of roasted lamb are typically accompanied by roasted vegetables, other meats, potatoes, fresh salads, and sauces, and they are usually washed down with full-bodied red wines such as Malbec, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Milanesa a caballo is a variation on the popular milanesa steak that's breaded and fried. In this version, the milanesa is topped with a fried egg, then served accompanied by fries on the side. The steaks should be thin and of high quality, while the breadcrumbs should be as dry as possible in order for the dish to be very crunchy. The term a caballo, meaning on horseback, refers to the fried egg that sits on top of the milanesa.
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For the “Top 21 Argentinian Meat Dishes” list until May 15, 2026, 1,948 ratings were recorded, of which 1,304 were recognized by the system as legitimate.
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