Asado de tira, the heart of the asado.
On my mother's side this was the cut that meant the fire was lit and the family was coming. Short ribs cut thin across the bone, grilled slow over embers, bone-side down and patient. Salt only, no marinade, no theater. Here is how I cook it.
Asado de tira asks for two things and nothing more: a steady ember bed and the patience to leave it alone. Everything below is about those two.
The cut is short ribs run across the bones into thin strips, so each piece carries several little bone cross-sections. That is what sets it apart from every other piece on the Argentine beef cuts table, and it is why it grills in under an hour instead of braising all afternoon. It is the centerpiece of a full asado, and at the table it wants nothing but salt on the meat and chimichurri alongside. No marinade. The rib does the talking.
Five steps, in the order that matters
Salt, and nothing else
Coarse salt on both sides. No marinade, no rub. The short rib has all the flavor it needs; your job is the fire.
Build a steady ember bed
Medium heat, a patient bed, the grate set mid to high. This is a slow cook, not a sear. You want the heat to come up gently through the bone.
Bone-side down first
Lay the strips bone-side down and leave them, 25 to 40 minutes, letting the heat work up through the bones and the fat render. This is the patience the cut rewards; rushing it is the most common mistake.
Flip to finish
Turn the strips and crisp the meat side, 10 to 15 minutes, until tender with browned, crisp edges. The meat should give easily and pull from the little bone cross-sections.
Serve hot off the grill
Asado de tira does not need a long rest. Bring it to the table hot, in the strips, with chimichurri alongside. The crisp edges and the soft interior are the whole point.
What you need
The fire
- Salt both sides, coarse. Nothing else.
- Build a steady bed, a five-count of heat.
- Bone-side down. Let it ride till the fat renders, 25 to 40 min.
- Flip once. Crisp the meat side, 10 to 15 min.
- Off hot, into the strips. No long rest.
The bone-side-down phase is the whole cook. Rush it and the strip turns tough. Patience is the recipe.
From Kocinero · Experience you can't fake. Verdicts you can't buy. · kocinero.com/asado-de-tira
You need a real parrilla under it
Asado de tira is a slow cook over embers, so the grill matters as much as the meat. You want a real parrilla with a grate you can raise and lower over the coals. Here is how to choose one.
Argentine grills
The parrilla built for exactly this: an ember bed below and an adjustable grate above, so you can set the heat gentle and patient for the long bone-side-down phase.
Read the guideThe best Argentine grills
If you are buying one, this is where to start. The grills I would put a tira of short ribs on, what the crank-height grate buys you, and what to skip.
Read the guideCommon questions
What is asado de tira?
Asado de tira is beef short ribs cut across the bones into thin strips (flanken style), so each piece carries several small bone cross-sections. It is the signature cut of the Argentine asado, cooked slow over embers.
How do you cook asado de tira?
Over a steady medium ember bed, bone-side down first for 25 to 40 minutes so the heat rises through the bone and the fat renders, then flipped to crisp the meat side, about 40 to 55 minutes total. Seasoned with coarse salt only.
What is the difference between asado de tira and regular short ribs?
Asado de tira is short ribs cut thin across the bones (flanken), not the thick English cut between the bones. Each strip has several bone cross-sections, which is why it grills relatively quickly over coals rather than braising for hours.
How thick should asado de tira be cut?
About 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick across the bones. Thin enough to cook through over embers in under an hour, thick enough to stay juicy. Ask the butcher for short ribs cut flanken style.
Bone-side down. Patient. Salt only.
Do that and a strip of short ribs becomes the cut everyone reaches for first. Cook it over the parrilla it was made for.