Today we had a great day under the Argentine sun with a LOT of quality meats and home made cold cuts.
A true feast!
The day started in an interesting way when the backsplash of the parrilla gave way and red hot charcoal and burning wood fell out the back into the shrubs behind. Scooping a few buckets of water out of the swimming pool was enough to evade disaster though.
Luckily the rest of the day went a lot smoother, proving that a weathered barbecue is just as good as a brand new one. And spending time with good friends of which one is a skilled asador guarantees that you’ll have a banging time!
Home made Cold Cuts
Our host, Fernando, made good use of his spare time during the COVID lockdowns and learned how to make his own cold cuts. He bought the equipment, got educated and spent a lot of time experimenting to produce the perfect Pitina.
Pitina was traditionally made from the remaining ground and flavored meat that gets stuck in the last stage of the machines that are used to create sausages.
It’s covered in ground corn and salt and then it has to age for several weeks in a cool place.
After that you’ll end up with this delicious alternative to the hard sausages such as Fuet or the Spanish Chorizo.
Follow Fer’s Pitina adventures on Instagram.
Chori Cheto
The word Cheto in Argentina Spanish means “Fancy”.
A Chori Cheto is basically a Choripan (bread with sausage) but then a bit more fancy.
The way to prepare them is simple:
- Take some hard buns and cut them in half, removing much of the bread;
- Fill part of that space with a soft cheese;
- Fill up the remainding space with the contents of the chorizo, so taking the filling out of the gut;
- Now put that bread facing down on the barbecue.
Once the meat part is cooked turn them around and give the bread side a few minutes of heat too.
And there you go!
Chori Cheto
Entraña – Hanger Steak
Hanger steak is a cut of beef steak with a rich flavor. It’s taken from the upper belly of the animal and is a working muscle. It needs to be cooked rather on the rare side otherwise it’ll get chewy.
Ideally you season it in a sour dressing with lemon and/or vinegar because the acids weaken collagen and protein in the meat. Once broken by the acid, proteins can bond with each other and trap liquids in the meat, making it juicy and tender.
My advice is to take this meat out of the fridge and let it reach room temperature and then cook it briefly over medium heat so it stays nice and redish on the inside.