All over South America there is a lot of controversy over whether wood or charcoal should be used to create the heat source of an Asado. To be clear, we’re not talking about charcoal briquettes that come in all uniform size and shape (commonly used in the United States), but rather lump charcoal created by burning wood at low oxygen levels to drive out the imperfections of the wood and turn it into carbon. The answer can be very different depending on where you go.
Places like Chile and Uruguay at times have no problem burning pure wood under their meat, but this can pose a serious problem if the wood hasn’t completely turned to embers before hand. The flames serve primarily to char the outside of the meat while the inside remains uncooked, purple, and cold. When using carbon, this can also be an issue if the coals are not brought uniformly to the correct level of heat before applying the meat to the grilling service. In other words, you can make the same mistake two ways with these two different materials. Both of these styles require a keen eye by the Parrillero to make sure that the heat source is ready for the meat. But with the simple implementation of the Argentinian style of fire making, and coal application, either one of these materials ca be used successfully.
It’s not so much the source as it is the technique of getting that source to a uniform heat level. Here in Argentina whether we are using lump charcoal or wood, it is burned separately from the cooking area. When the wood or charcoal is allowed to burn freely in a basket alongside the cooking station, bits and pieces of embers will fall through the grates, giving off roughly the same amount of heat as they have reached the similar level where they can be agitated and disconnected form the original log and/or lump.
By implementing this strategy the wood is only used in conjunction with cooking once it has been turned into an ember suitable for cooking. When this is done you no longer have to worry about flames kicking up and charring your meat without actually cooking it. As far as flavor goes, some argue that wood’s embers produce a smokier more natural flavor. I for one don’t notice a difference and actually encourage using lump charcoal and wood together so that the charcoal can help ignite the wood more quickly allowing it to transform into embers. The charcoal embers are the first to ignite and fall through, yet the wood which transforms at a slower pace continues to provide you with more embers to place under the grill over the entire course of the night.
In the end I believe both lump charcoal and wood are winners. The clear loser is uniform shape briquettes of charcoal which although made from ground lump charcoal, also contain sawdust and other questionable materials. They arent natural and certainly dont provide any positive additional flavor. As for the first 2 options, there really isn’t much difference other than how quickly they can be utilized. I always use a mix, so that I can begin grilling in no time and keep on grilling all night long if I choose.
Steak Buenos Aires 