Cover Asador V's touch is something that is honed through skill and instinct
Asador V's touch is something that is honed through skill and instinct
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The primal nature of fire is not tamed, but harnessed by the team at Asador V, using it to transform cuts of meat into an expression of skill
Timers and a rigid cooking schedule don’t exist in the kitchen of Asador V. Returning to the elements, the chefs master the art of fire, and use it to create incredible food.
Amongst the hues of the glowing wood and crackle of the embers, fire is the primary ingredient and a language learned through experience.
The grandeur of Asador V should not distract you from the primal essence of their kitchen, rooted in a culinary tradition from the Argentine pampas, where the asado is the heart of the kitchen, and relies on a learned dialogue with the flame.
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Guided by instinct, the chefs treat cooking with fire as a multi-sensory performance. All the senses are heightened, from the sound, smell, touch, and sight of the meat on the grill. A symphony of sounds, from the sizzle of the raw meat hitting the flame, hearing the crackling of the rendering fat, smelling the meat and the flavour from the Maillard reaction, caramelising the meat and creating a crust that retains the juices within the meat.
To get the perfect, juicy bite, the meat must be a thick cut, something Asador V has nailed. The signature experience will almost always involve a big cut of steak, ideally bone-in. The journey begins with the dry-aging of the meat, a specialised method used to enhance the flavour and tenderness of the meat.
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In Asador V, the steaks are dry-aged in house by their specialist team, and this allows the natural enzymes in the meat to break down the muscle fibres, but leaves a protective crust on the meat. Utilising large cuts of bone-in meat for dry-aging is therefore the ideal choice due to the significant amount of trimming necessary to remove the dried outer layer, also known as the pellicle.
Using these larger cuts, the asado therefore lends itself as the superior method to prepare these steaks. While smaller cuts might overcook too quickly on the open fire, a substantial bone-in cut or a thick porterhouse has the patience to withstand the fire. The larger size allows for precise control over the charring process while maintaining the desired level of juiciness in the center.
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In the dining room of Asador V, the best seats are the ones near the asado grill. The atmosphere is both romantic, yet primal. The flickering of the fire is the constant reminder that the kitchen is alive, and the ritual act of a meal is the core of the shared experience of everyone in the room, keeping the Argentine tradition alive across oceans.
Credits
Images: Asador V
