Outdoor cooking - Part 1

Every country and culture has its version of cooking outdoors and for many this involves preparing food (meat) over some or other heat source. In South Africa we call it a "braai", around the world we call it "barbecue", the Aussies even call it a "barbie" (go figure) and here in Argentina we call it "asado". Obviously every culture wants to believe that their way is the best and I'm not here to debase that notion. I would, however, like to say that the Argentine way of preparing meat over hot coals is amazing. And I would like to pay homage to that cooking style over the next few posts.
Right at the start I need to clear up something for those of you who have never been to Argentina or partaken in an asado. It is NOT about the food alone. An asado is a ritual that is repeated for those persons attending. This ritual obviously has variations but it is still a ritual. One of sharing time and food and wine and laughter (and the odd political argument) with everyone present. It is more often than not a slow, drawn-out affair that encompasses many hours of eating, drinking and laughing. All in all, an asado is a wonderful way to spend time with friends and family.
So, to the business of making an asado. The fire: and from the word go there are two schools of thought. The first and more traditional way to make a fire is to use wood. This is slower as the Argentine asado wood of choice is often hard and slow-burning due to the time it takes to cook the meat. The upside of using wood is that it flavours the meat in the most unique way, adding that extra dimension to the amazing, world-famous Argentine beef. The second school of fire-making is to use coal. This is obviously quicker and much less hassle. The coals maintain the heat longer and the results are easier to manipulate. It obviously doesn't supply the aroma that wood does. Many people use a blend of the two schools, while the novices start with coal and over time regress to wood. To each his own ...
To end off this post, I need to clear up that cooking meat on an asado can take a while, depending on what is being cooked. For that reason an astute asador (asado-maker) will keep a source of fire close by, adding more coal / wood as the situation demands.
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