Vacio, or flank steak, happens to be the main entree in the first authentic asado (steak dinner) that I experienced here in Buenos Aires. It is taken from the abdominal muscles, between the spare ribs and the hips. These muscles get a lot of work and tend to contain a lot of nerves. Therefore, this particularly thin cut has a tendency to be relatively tough as opposed to cuts like bife de lomo (tenderloin) which, as the name suggests, is very tender due to lack of use. However, if cooked in the correct manner, as I was taught, you will be rewarded by a juicy and flavorful steak.
The difference between vacio and cuts like ojo de bife (a derivative of the rib-eye) lies with the distribution of the fat. Ojo de bife contains what we call marbling which is internal lines of fat that dissolve and add flavor to the meat when cooked. Vacio simply has an entire layer of fat along one side of the enormous cut. I say enormous because the flank steak is placed on the grill in its entirety. In my case, I watched the porteno (Buenos Aires resident) who was teaching me the way of the asado cook a 3 kilogram slab of vacio all at once.
After building a large fire in the parrilla and allowing it to burn down to hot coals, my instructor lowered the rack to just above the flames and set the vacio with the fat side down on the grates. I asked him how long we would have to cook as he was salting the top side over the fire. He estimated that it would be around 45 minutes. This, to me, seemed like an extremely long time over a very hot fire even if it was a large piece of meat, but who was I to disagree? Sure enough, 35 minutes later when it was time to flip it and cook the other side, we found the entire surface was a charcoal black color. What I did not realize then was that the layer of fat is cut off before it is served. Cooking vacio in this way actually allows the meat to cook through while the fat tenderizes and flavors the beef. All that remained to be done was browning the other side and our vacio was ready, tasty and juicy as ever.
However, there as many methods as there are parrillas and parrilleros so don’t be alarmed if your cut of vacio isn’t e cooked in this way. While it is standard for the fat to be placed down towards the heat first, it is also common for the vacio to be exposed to a medium-low heat quite a few centimeters off the burning coals. This approach slowly melts the layer of fat, leaving a relatively thin but crunchy exterior considered by a delicacy by many. The entire piece is then flipped over and cooked to the desired cooking point.
Every parrillero has their own way of preparing vacio. All you need to do is keep in mind that done right, whichever way that may be, its a treat and well worth asking for and if you are brave enough, to grill at home!
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Vacio es la primera entrada que he comido aquí in Buenos Aires durante mi primer experiencia con el asado argentino. Este parte esta sacado de los músculos abdominales, entre las costillas y las caderas. Estos músculos necesitan un montón de trabajo y tienden a contener una gran cantidad de nervios. Por lo tanto, esta delgada corte tiene particularmente una tendencia a ser duro en oposición a cortes como bife de lomo que, como su nombre indica, está muy sensible debido a la falta de uso. Sin embargo se cocina de manera adecuada, como me enseñaron, que serán recompensados por un filete jugoso y sabroso.
La diferencia entre el vacio y cortes como ojo de bife se trata en la distribución de la grasa. Ojo de bife contiene lo que llamamos marmoleado. Todo lo que es líneas internas de la grasa que se disuelven y añaden sabor a la carne cuando se cocina. Vacio tiene simplemente una capa entera de grasa a lo largo de un lado del corte enorme. En mi caso, he visto el porteño (residentes de Buenos Aires) que me ensena la forma de cocinar el asado una losa de 3 kilo de vacio a la vez.
Después que el fuego de la parrilla sea listo, tienes que dejar que se queme a los carbones calientes, mi instructor bajó la cremallera hasta justo por encima de las llamas y establecer el vacio con el lado de la grasa hacia abajo en las rejillas. Le preguntado cuánto tiempo tendría que cocinar, así que decidió salando la parte superior sobre el fuego. Estimó que sería de alrededor de 45 minutos. Esto, para mí, parecía un largo tiempo sobre un fuego muy caliente, incluso si se trataba de un gran trozo de carne, bebió ¿Usted estaba muy en desacuerdo?
Efectivamente, a 35 minutos más tarde, cuando llegó el momento de darle la vuelta y cocine el otro lado, encontramos toda la zona era de un color negro carbón. Lo que hice entonces no estaba darse cuenta que la capa de grasa que se corta antes de que se sirve. Cocinar de esta manera vacio En realidad permite que la carne a cocinar a través mientras que ablanda las grasas y sabores de la carne de vacuno. Lo único que quedaba por hacer era dorar el otro lado y el vacio estaba preparado, sabroso y jugoso como siempre.
Steak Buenos Aires 