LA CARNE A NIVEL GLOBAL

No hay duda de que comer carne es casi una religión en la Argentina, que desde luego posee muchísimos seguidores de la causa. Con un encuentro tan espiritual como el del Asado Argentino, en el que familia y amigos se reúnen para rendir culto a los sabrosos cortes de carne a la parrilla, es normal pensar en este ritual como ir a rezar en grupo como sucede en tantas culturas. Pero cuando se trata de los hechos aún más concretos… ¿Cuánta carne comen los argentinos en comparación a otros países? Especialmente si lo comparamos directamente con sus países vecinos, Brazil y Uruguay, considerados amantes furiosos de la carne ¿Cuál será el resultado?

¡¡¡¡CARNEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Photo Credit: deyan_georgiev via Compfight cc

Bueno… ¡La verdad es realmente interesante!

No es una gran sorpresa que Argentina ocupe el 5º puesto como entre los más grandes consumidores de carne en el mundo con 2.620.000 KG de consumo anual (2014). Lejos de los EEUU, Brasil, la Unión Europea y China. Después de todo Argentina tiene apenas 1/4 de la población del más chico de estos cuatro. Ni siquiera los 43 millones de argentinos podrían competir con los cerca de 1.400.000 millones de chinos o 320 millones de estadounidenses.

Un carnicero en Hong Kong. ¡¡¡Felíz!!! Photo Credit: Christina Lutze via Compfight cc

ASADO ARGENTINO para algunos pocos 🙂 Photo Credit: Ela Locke via Compfight cc

Pero cuando hablamos del consumo por persona,el famoso conteo per capita, ahí Argentina se destaca con un segundo puesto a nivel mundial con una ingesta de 96,95 KG de carne por argentino. Entonces…Si Argentina es el segundo ¿Cuál es el primero? No creo que hubieran podido adivinar, ya que es Hong Kong!!! Allá es el puro Carpe Diem cuando se trata de comer carne, pareciera que no hay mañana cuando se trata de ello. Cada habitante estaría comiendo unos 123,51 KG al año. Comen 26,5 kg más al año que que cada argentino, increible!!! Sólo después llega Uruguay, que cada vez se asoma más a los argentinos, son pocos pero comen muchísima carne: 81,59 Kg por persona al año. Por el lado de Brasil, el total es de 60.40 KG per capita.

 

Información obtenida a través de http://beef2live.com/

 

Steak Buenos Aires: Siga La Vaca

For those of you who are familiar with Argentina, you know that when it comes to meat the portions almost never leave you asking for more. Eating meat, and lots of it, comes easily to us and so the idea of an all you can eat meat buffet is nothing too terribly out of the ordinary for us. It’s like any regular old Sunday.

Siga la Vaca came into existence about 20 years ago when a group of entrepreneurs associated with the beef industry decided to try something a little different. They opened their first space about 40 kilometers off PanAmerican Highway and it has space to accommodate up to 50 people. The idea was that at a fixed price their customers could come in sit down and eat until their bellies burst or they had to be rolled out. Since 1993 their first location has grown to hold as many as 300 people. In 1996 they opened another location in San Isidro with enough room for 350 people. Their popularity grew leaps and bounds when they finally made it to the beautiful area of Puerto Madero. This is their biggest location yet seating 450 people.

Up until recently I never really had much interest but for the sake of the beef I decided to give it a try. I made my way down to Puerto Madero and was greeted by their signature friendly looking cows at the door (don’t worry, they’re not real). When I arrived the place was relatively crowded but due to the fact that they have over 450 seats I didn’t wait for more than a minute to be seated. The waitstaff was extremely friendly and helpful when it came to explaining all about how everything was supposed to work. They brought me my included wine (yes, you do get wine or beer included) and I was to the salad bar.

There was actually a large selection of fixings at the salad bar including things like pickled vegetables and already made bean salads etc. While it wasn’t the best salad I’ve ever had I have no qualms with it, in fact, I went back for seconds. I took ‘all you can eat’ to be a challenge you see. The other nice thing about the salad bar is its close proximity to what I’d refer to as the ‘meat bar’. You can scope it out a bit and get a feel for what’s on the parrilla. The moment had come, time for the star of the show. Siga la Vaca has an impressive selection of meats of all different type: pork, chicken, beef. Luckily for me I have a good idea of what everything looks like on the parrilla but I could see how someone who had little to no knowledge of Argentine beef it would be practically impossible to navigate, big flaw. People typically like to know what it is you’re getting into. The idea is that you just walk up, find something you like and point.

While the idea of Siga la Vaca is a good one the actual execution is a bit lackluster. Everything that I tried was a bit overcooked or not quite right. It wasn’t bad but it just wasn’t great. This isn’t surprising to me considering the fact that the parrillas are going all day just waiting for the next person to come pick their food. There’s no real way to avoid overcooking or drying out while you’re trying to keep everything prepared and warm, especially if it’s for 450 some people. The buffet style is very American in feel and not something that I would consider authentic.  Unfortunately it’s not a place that I would ever go back to but considering what you pay  it can be an interesting experience for a curious individual.

 

Steak Buenos Aires: Gran Parrilla del Plata

Gran Parrilla del Plata is a little piece of history located in the neighborhood of San Telmo. During the 30’s it was used as large butcher shop called Grandes Carnicerias del Plata. Eventually it converted into a restaurant with the old spirit of Buenos Aires. The owners felt compelled to keep the old world charm and history so they merely adapted the original name.

For me the real draw of this parrilla is the atmosphere. The building itself has been refurbished but they’ve kept bits and pieces of it’s former glory paying tribute to it’s butchering days with the original butcher’s hook, the old meat slicer, the glazed tiles and the original majolica and calcareous floor tile from the 20’s. It’s got a very vintage feel with jazzy music you might find from that era. It’s not a place that I would openly classify as touristy, although it certainly is, but there’s something about this place that’s charming. Maybe it has to do with the close connection you feel to the meat that’s about to order, a sort of start to finish process with your beef.

At Gran Parrilla del Plata I felt they emphasized the starters quite a bit. As is classically Argentine the appetizers are of great importance. They recommend the pork sausage, kidneys and veal tripe. Fair enough that this may not appeal to the masses but this is a good place to step out of your comfort zone and conquer the unknown. Their complete offal mix offers a nice variety of options to try if you’re in the mood for something classically Argentine. Something unique that I discovered about Gran Parrilla del Plata is that they offer fish a la parrilla which isn’t something you typically find at a parrilla in Buenos Aires. Besides this they are vegetarian friendly with their homemade pasta dishes.

My personal experience here was a pleasant one. When I arrived I was promptly seated but the service in true form was very slow and somewhat inattentive. The waitstaff, however inattentive they were, were very friendly when it was actually time to take our order. I ordered entraňa which was recommended to me by the waiter along with a side of garlic fries. The meat came out well cooked and seasoned. The fries were a slight disappointment but as they were somewhat soggy but there was certainly no lack of garlic which is something that I love. From what I hear their garlic mashed potatoes are always a hit so that’s another option as well. I finished out the night with one of their many dessert options, Don Roberto. This was quite possibly my favorite part of the meal. It’s a dark chocolate cake with whipped cream and a mix of red berries on top, heavenly. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. The atmosphere really peaked my interested and the dessert was divine.

 

Steak Buenos Aires: Las Cabras

           

             Las Cabras, located in the trendy, restaurant-packed neighborhood of Palermo Hollywood, comes highly rated on many of the tourist websites such as Trip Advisor, etc.  Here’s what I have to say about Las Cabras in short, it is by no means the best place to go for a steak in Buenos Aires, the service can be absolutely poor (and that’s compared to Buenos Aires standards) and most of the time it takes longer to get a table than it does to actually eat your meal.  Having said this I can’t knock the fact that you can get an entire meal- I mean so much food that you won’t want to eat for days- for a really great price.

            I first went to Las Cabras a couple years ago.  I was with a group of 10 hungry friend and we were looking for a good but cheap parrilla to get what we would consider an argentine steak. We arrived around nine thinking that we had arrived early; which for Argentine standards we had.   We were greeted with a long line of people the spanned what seemed like the entire block (this of course is a complete exaggeration but we were impatient and hungry).  We elected a representative to go in and see about wait times.  She reported back that the wait for such a large group would be at least an hour but with little deliberation we decided to wait it out because we were already here and the reviews were so good that we couldn’t miss it.  An hour and a half goes by and we’re still waiting.  Finally we got seated and we quickly placed our orders: beef and pinguinos (penguin shaped pitchers) of wine all around.  Commence waiting round 2.

  

            I ordered Bife de Chorizo and my friends followed suit minus the token vegetarian that we brought along.  She ordered a mess of grilled vegetables, which is rare for a parrilla in Argentina to offer such a wide selection of veggies so that was a major plus.  On that note they also stand out as a parrilla who offers salteña food.  When our meals arrived we were pleasantly surprise by the mass quantities of food that ‘bife de chorizo’ came with.  Not only did the beef come with rice, but it also came with french fries with a fried egg on top, a purée of squash and some grilled peppers.

 

            We finished our meals, which we enjoyed and then had to play the ‘can you get the waiters attention to ask for the check’ game – the waiter won rounds 1 through 6 but eventually we overcame and we paid and were on our merry way to gallivant around the city. In summation, while the food is plentiful and the prices are very cheap, it’s not a place that the food itself would bring me back to time and time again.  But, the atmosphere is lively and if you’re with a group of friends it’s a fun place to go and drink oodles of wine, hang out and have a cheap dinner.

 

Steak Buenos Aires: Lo de Bebe

Situated not more than several meters off Scalabrini Ortiz on Charcas is a small but good parrilla called Lo de Bebe where you can get a steak in Buenos Aires for a great price.  What started off as a hole in the wall place to get some Argentine asado has turned into a kitchy place to sit and have dinner with friends and family.

I first came across this Argentine parrilla by chance.  A professor of mine from the states was visiting his family in Buenos Aires and he invited me and two other students out for a nice dinner.  With good intent of where we were going we set off.  Twenty minutes pass and we were unable to find the original restaurant where we were going to eat.  With our stomachs growling and our feet growing weary the smells wafting out from this tiny parrilla were calling to us.  We agreed without hesitation that it was meant to be and so we walked in and sat down.

From the moment you step inside your eyes are met with a whirlwind of colorful decoration.  The chairs and walls are painted in a classically fileteado porteño motif with phrases and sayings written in swirly fonts.  The chairs and the tables are also brightly decorated and they’re mismatched with gives this small parrilla an eclectic and homey feel.

We ordered a bottle of wine and my professor quickly listed off a mountain of food that he wanted us to try and the waiter was off to place our order.  In looking around I noticed that there was a fair amount of Argentines eating here (which is typically a good sign for a neighborhood joint).  Plates of meat were brought out to us on small sliver trays as they were ready off the grill.  As my professor pointed out, they have a wide selection of meats to choose from the parrilla.  First to arrive was the provoleta.  It was slightly crunchy for my taste but still salty and flavorful as a provoleta should be.  Next came our morcilla and chorizo.  The chorizo was quite yummy, it’s hard to mess up a classic sausage like that.  The morcilla however wasn’t a favorite, normally I’m a big fan of morcilla but this one just didn’t do it for me.   When it came time for the star of the show, the vacio, we decided that we needed to order another plate because it wasn’t going to be enough for all of us to share.  Presentation also wasn’t a focus of theirs.  That’s not to say that it wasn’t a good meal.  In the end we left satisfied and full.

Fast forward a year and a half and I’m back in Buenos Aires, now living here permanently.  One sunny afternoon I looked in my fridge and realized that it was bare and that I was going to have to venture out in search of food.  My roommate mentioned that there was a delicious parrilla not too far away and that I might give that a shot.  She joined me on our walk and as we’re approaching I saw the familiar colorful tables and smelled that delicious grilled meat aroma.  As it turns out, Lo de Bebe is right around the corner from my apartment and they do take out! I’m not ashamed to admit that this has turned into a regular place for me to pick up a choripan or a bondiola sandwich on my way home when I have no desire to cook.  I think this is probably their biggest draw for me.  Essentially they combined the carts down on Costanera with a restaurant.  While the flavors are authentic, the style in which they are served has been updated for convenience.

 

Steak Buenos Aires: Dinner for 10!

Guest Post:

Last night Steaks by Luis held it’s biggest event yet!  10 hungry guests showed up around 8:30 to join in on a fabulous picada with a sampling of various meats and cheeses accompanied by a glass (or two) of a spectacular Argentine sparkling wine.  The atmosphere was jovial as the guests mixed and mingled for a half hour getting to know each other better.  Luis, the asador (grill-master) wants you to feel like you’re at home and that you too are a member of his group of friends and family.

After the picada our host took us on a tour through the kitchen where we got to ‘meet our meat’.  Luis left the parrilla and joined us  to explain, in Spanish, what all we were going to be eating.  No worries folks, speaking Spanish is not a prerequisite for this event.  Tomás, our host, was kind enough to translate everything Luis had to say.  There’s something to be said for getting a lesson on Argentine beef from an actual Argentine in Spanish.

Meat

It’s a very different experience being up close and personal with an enormous, perfectly marbled, beautifully colored slab of beef.  Huge hunk doesn’t even begin to describe it; no puny steaks here that’s for sure.  Next to the steaks sat another tray piled high with all sorts of different goodies.  As Luis explained these were going to be our starters.  There were several different types of sausages, ribs tips, and a pork something or other all of which looked delectable.

We returned to the table and our host poured us a glass of white wine which paired well with the ensalada mixta (mixed salad).  As Tomas explained this salad is a staple at any asado but they’ve taken the liberty of jazzing it up a bit by adding fresh slices of orange and a some parmesan shavings.

When our salad course was finished Tomas invited us to step out onto the deck to see up close and personal everything that Luis was doing.  What was so fantastic about this space that the entire place is floor to ceiling windows.  Essentially it’s set up like a theater and Luis and the ribeye along with the parrilla take center stage. I ventured out on the deck and the first thing that hits you is the wonderfully aromatic smoke, a perfect combination of charcoal and meat that makes your mouth salivate profusely.  Next is the sheer size of the enormous grill.  It was a beautiful thing.

We sat back down at the table and not long after, three massive trays with a medley of meats came to the table.  Serving family style, we all help ourselves to the awe-inspiring spread of meats.  With the amount of food served up to this point it was hard to believe that we still hadn’t even come to the main course yet.

The ribeye arrived and our jaws dropped.  Beautifully plated with a homemade tinted salt and a garnish of parsley and paprika I began to devise my plan of attack for the 16 ounces of beef before me.    Perfectly cooked to my liking, I just dove into it eating until I felt like I was going to burst but not long after I knew that the Argentine beef had won.  It seemed as though it was never ending.  When the plates were cleared and I vowed to myself that I wasn’t going to eat anything else for at least 2 days, Tomas announced that we had one final course, dessert.  As it turns out Luis is not only talented with the grill but he’s also a fantastic baker.  To end our meal we were presented with a piece of dulce de leche cheesecake plated so stunningly that it was almost too pretty to eat.  No worries though, I got over this quickly and savored every mind-blowing bite.

All in all it was a tremendous evening filled with good company, great food, and delicious wine.  How can you go wrong with that?

 

Argentina Steak: Grilling Points

When it comes to wine, the consensus is that you should drink the wines that make you happy. At the end of the day, quality, style, price and recommendations from the finest of sommeliers mean very little if that wine just doesn’t work for you. To each his own. In terms of steaks, this logic applies as well, not that it has prevented the debate over to which point a steak must be grilled to rage on endlessly. I’m not here to solve that debate – but perhaps to give my take on it.

One of the fun but essentially non-transferable skills that you pick up from working in a steakhouse is being able to 1) guess pretty accurately how people like their beef cooked and 2) and to which point a steak has been cooked by glancing at it. But first let’s review the various grilling points that any steakhouse should be able to hit. The scale, running from faintly mooing to burnt to a crisp, goes likes this:

Blue – Rare – Medium Rare – Medium – Medium Well – Well Done. Below is an illustrative chart explaining their differences. A key point to remember that beef cooked Blue and Rare is never served cold – it has to be hot but the meat can’t have been cooked through.

Now, at least in London, 60% of clients ordered Medium Rare, another 30% were split evenly between Rare and Medium Well and the remaining 10% spread randomly around Blue, Well Done and Very Well Done. In Argentina, the numbers are closer to 70% Medium another 20% ask for Well Done and only the odd lunatic goes for Medium Rare or less. More on this later.

Anyways, given the rates that we were seeing in London, we would take notice when someone asked for a Rare steak. Some announced their choice bravely and loudly, as if they deserved a gold star having the courage to order a steak Rare. Almost everybody asking for Well Done or Very Well Done apologised for their preference, much like when non-smokers apologise for not having a lighter on them when asked. French tourists made up the 70% of steaks ordered Blue and most people ordering the smallest steaks also ordered them more cooked. And believe it or not, peer pressure exists when it comes to grilling points. I can’t understand why, but in many groups of friends there’s always one self-appointed grilling point supervisor who will cluck disapprovingly if anybody orders a steak beyond an arbitrarily determined point. The most interesting part though was when I was asked what I recommended as grilling points. The story of to each his own also applies here but it’s true that nature of the cuts matters when choosing grilling points. For the larger Bife de Chorizo I didn’t recommend anybody doubting of their choice that they go with Rare just because it is so large and that is a large amount of relatively uncooked beef to get through. I also think Medium Rare works a bit better on cuts that are fattier because the extended heat helps to breakdown the marbling better. So, Bife de Lomo Rare or Blue? Right on, but not the Ojo de Bife if you aren’t already sure you like it that way.

The debate about grilling points really verges on the fact that those who prefer it less cooked insist that by extending the cooking the meat loses its juices and tenderness and becomes irremediably inedible. The opposing camp usually can’t bear the thought of blood and juices pooling in their plate. Each has a point. In Argentina the standard is not only to grill the meat to at least Medium, but that at asados you don’t get to pick the grilling point. As the pieces are grilled whole and it is up to the asador when the cut is ready, you best like whatever is served to you. It isn’t entirely clear to me why in Argentina everybody also prefers their beef grilled longer. My working theory is that the quality of the beef is such that even if you get it Well Done it is still tender and tasty. But there’s basically no science or method behind that statement so take it a considerable amount of sal parrillera.

I personally go for a Medium Rare and on occasion will ask for a Rare. Amongst friends I won’t blink if the beef is Medium. When the wine is good and the company better, I’m not sure that it matters all that much to me as long as it’s been done Argentine-style over a parrilla!

 

Argentine Beef Cuts vs American Beef Cuts

If any of you have ever lived in, been to or at least heard about Argentina, you will be aware of the famously high quality steak. The steak cuts are slightly different to what you will come across in your favorite BBQ house in the States! Although the quality of the meat may not differ too much from meat of a Texas BBQ, but Argentines’ really have it down to a T the art of how to grill and salt a steak.

Steak House in the USA

A classic style steak house in the United States can’t be beaten by much. But if you should come down to Argentina, getting to a parilla out of the city or even a parrilla in the city is a must do. (However, please don’t confuse this with a traditional Argentine asado, which is not to be found anywhere in the city for visitors, it only happens at the homes of Argentines).

La Cabrera is a well known ‘parrilla’or steakhouse in Buenos Aires.

Below is a picture highlighting the cuts of beef used generally in the US and other regions such as the UK.

As you can see, the area around the neck is divided into more parts.

The (roughly and most common) five different types of steaks you will see in Argentina are Bife de Lomo (tenderloin). Entrana (skirt steak), Asado de tira (short ribs), Vacio (flank steak) and Bife de chorizo (sirloin). There are several other beef cuts that we will write about over the coming days and months, but these are the principal players.

The Bife de Lomo is the most expensive cut, it’s big, tender and juicy. Lomo is a must try at least once, but can often lack a bit of flavour. It is also, ironically, the absolute least Argentine cut of beef. You will basically never find this at any real Argentine asado specifically because it is rather flavorless. Where you will find it is in “milanesas” which is schnitzel or “chicken fried steak”, which is a very common lunch and dinner food in Argentina. It is also a cut that is considered beef for children since it is soft and easy to cut and chew. How ironic!

 

La Entraña

The Entrana is not as large as lomo or bife de chorizo, so is a great choice if you don’t think you’ll finish off a larger option. This is a favorite among the Argentines’ and is a more flavorful, thinner cut of meat. Not the most tender of cuts, between a lomo and a matambre.

The Asado de tira, or ribs, is where you will also see another main difference to the states. In Argentina, the ribs are cut a lot shorter. They are packed full with flavour and are nice and crispy. This is *the* cut of Argentine beef, and can be found at our little Steak events that we do here in Buenos Aires.

The Vacio, or flank steak, probably won’t be found outside of Argentina/Uruguay. This cut will have a coating of fat on the outside, but none on the inside. When cooked to perfection the fat goes crispy and keeps the inside tender and juicy.

The Bife de Chorizo is big a juicy with tasty exterior fat. Just make sure you get it in a good place. as a cheap Bife de Chorizo will be fatty and not so worth it.

A Matambre is another Argentine meat that is popular in Argentina. However is renowned for it’s toughness. So get your jaw prepared!

No matter which cut of Argentine beef you choose, it will certainly be a memorable experience!

 

Argentine Beef Industry: Beef Consumption in Argentina

As fun as it is to discuss the minute details of grilling great beef, it’s important to keep in mind that there’s an entire industry behind the Argentine asado. This will be first of a series of posts specifically addressing the beef industry from both an Argentine and global perspective. While this blog will hardly be the definitive resource on the industry, the expectation is that it provide some interesting information that will help to better understand why Argentine beef and it’s grilling traditions are so special.

A good place to start is to look at the demand for beef in Argentina, measured by consumption. While I don’t have the exact figures or total confidence that this is a true story, I’ve heard it multiple times that in the 19^th Century, beef was cheaper than wheat in Argentina. At the time it was also common for the large estancias to provide full room and board for its farmworkers. As a consequence, beef was served three times a day. This was the zenith of Argentine beef consumption, and thankfully for everyone’s cholesterol levels this level of consumption is now totally unheard of.

The overall trend has been for decreasing beef consumption throughout the last 100 years or so, but the levels still remain very high on a global scale. More precisely, in 1959 the average annual consumption in beef in Argentina was 222 pounds (100kg) per capita, a number which decreased to 129 (58.5)pounds in 2012. That’s a drop from a rather shocking 0.6 pounds  (270 grams) a day to a mere  0.35 pounds (160 grams) a day. As a reference, the average in the United States was 57.5 pounds in 2012, but Argentina is no longer first in global beef consumption, a title now awarded to Uruguay.

There are two main reasons for this change have been an increasing in beef prices (to be discussed in another post) along with a shift of dietary preferences. Simply put, beef consumption has become more reasonable without actually dropping enough for Argentina to lose it’s place amongst the biggest consumers of beef in the world. This trend is unlikely to change drastically – I would argue that there’s a floor for beef consumption here because it so important culturally. If prices continue to go up perhaps  there will be a drop in beef cooked at home during the week, but the asado will put up some resistance. And we can glad for that. Three square meals of beef a day isn’t what anyone needs, but it’s hard to say no to the weekly asado. That’s a dietary preference that isn’t ever going to go away, and we can all be glad for it.

– Thanks to Jennifer Grünwald for her research assistance

 

Argentina Steak: Mollejas

In a way, the entire asado concept is an exercise in guilty pleasures. The repeatedly excessive amounts of meat, wine and good times shared with friends and family can only be described as an indulgence. Asados are not particularly friendly to waistlines and so are usually accompanied with some self-recriminations to do some exercise. Mañana, of course.

Now, in terms of guilty pleasures, you can’t get more shamefully guilty than tucking into some perfectly cooked molleja (sweetbreads in North America and the UK or ris de veau in France). While perhaps not for the slightly squeamish, mollejas have a unique taste that is down to the fact that it is in fact a gland and not muscle tissue like the other cuts that go on the parrilla. Of course, because this is Argentina, there are two different kinds of molleja, and there is contradictions within the folk wisdom about their anatomical differences. Both appear to be cut from different parts of the thymus gland, which is part of the immune system. Molleja de corazon (surrounding the heart), is perceived to be better for the grill as it is fattier and usually thicker so they stand up to the heat better. The molleja de garganta (from the throat) is thinner and naturally less fatty, and so is best for pan-frying with spring onions. Because our priorities run towards anything on the parrilla, the focus will be on the mollejas de corazon.

Just like with almost any other element of an Argentine asado, there are as many recipes for mollejas as there are parrilleros. However, with more than any other piece of meat that goes onto the grill, the recipes for molleja really do have a dramatic impact on the final product. The controversies about salting for example, rarely result in a bad steak. But because mollejas are naturally very strong tasting and fatty, need to be grilled basically well done and can take a long time to cook, the differing approaches will be apparent in the result.

Mollejas are served as starters and so their preparation is one of the first things that a parrillero will take care of. Some parrileros will salt and then throw them onto the grill as is, eventually butterflying them after browning them for some 30 minutes over some medium heat on each side. This will result in the most intensely flavoured molleja. Other approaches include boiling the mollejas in either water or milk along with lemon juice and salt from anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours, and either letting the mollejas cool before putting them onto the grill or alternatively pressing them and storing them in the fridge overnight. The thinking is that boiling the mollejas strips them both of their fattiness and their more potent flavours as well as pre-cooking them to an extent, making life easier for those running the grill. Again, the idea is to grill the mollejas over persistent medium heat and butterflying when golden on each side and adding more lemon juice as the molleja cooks.  The lemon juice makes an appearance because it naturally fits the flavor of the molleja. The variety of recipes reflects the fact that mollejas are difficult, that they are fickle and can let a parrillero down. I choose to boil them for 10 minutes before grilling, but I’ve had great mollejas done a variety of ways. They do need to be absolutely fresh as well, and preferably from a reliable butcher and the less fatty the better. Smart portenos will also be able to recommend which parrillas have great mollejas and where you should avoid them.

I have avoided defining the flavor of molleja because I find that they are unique and more or less incomparable. They are undoubtedly gamey, but not in the same way that duck or wild boar is. They absorb lemon juice and the smoke off the grill very well but also retain their specific flavor, which is like a savoury butter, kind of. It is certainly a delicacy, as it is pricey and hard to get right. It is also very filling. I remember that at one my asados I picked up 500 grams for a group of about six of us. That is plenty, especially because we also had some provoleta and chorizos as starters. Half of some pretty amazing molleja was left and a friend of mine refused to accept that it wasn’t going to be eaten so he polished it off. He was so full afterwards that he didn’t make it to the main steak portion and went to sleep at 9pm.

If you have a chance, try some mollejas. Be prepared to not like them, but there really isn’t anything else like it. And if you like them, you’ll join a very large group of those who sheepishly enjoying mollejas whilst scrambling to justify such a guilty pleasure. Try it. Join us.