The Art of Argentine Asado - And Why We Brought It to Sussex

If you have been to one of our events, you will have seen it. The Argentine cross - a large metal frame holding an entire animal, angled over a bed of smouldering embers, cooking slowly for hours. It is dramatic, primal, and produces some of the best meat you will ever eat.

But it is not a gimmick. Asado is a centuries-old tradition from the Argentine pampas, and it is arguably the most sophisticated form of live fire cooking in the world. Let me tell you why I fell in love with it and why it sits at the heart of everything we do at Game and Flames.

What Is Asado?

In Argentina, asado is not a cooking method. It is a way of life. The word literally means "roasted" but it refers to the entire ritual - building the fire, preparing the meat, managing the heat over hours, and sharing the meal with family and friends. An Argentine asado is a social event that can last an entire day.

The key technique is the cruz - the cross. Whole animals (traditionally lamb or beef) are splayed on a metal frame and positioned at an angle next to the fire. Not over it - next to it. The radiant heat cooks the meat slowly and evenly over 4-8 hours. The fat renders gradually, basting the meat continuously. The result is something no oven can replicate.

Why I Went to Argentina to Learn

I could have watched YouTube videos. I could have read books. But fire cooking is not something you learn from a screen. It is about feeling the heat, reading the coals, understanding how wind affects temperature. So I went to Argentina and spent time with asadores - master fire cooks - learning the craft from people who have been doing it for generations.

What I learned changed everything. The patience. The respect for the animal. The understanding that fire is not just a heat source - it is an ingredient. Smoke from different woods adds different flavours. The distance from the flames matters. Even the time of day affects the cook.

In Argentina they say "no hay apuro" - there is no rush. Asado cannot be hurried. And that patience is what makes the meat extraordinary. When you give a whole deer six hours on the cross, every fibre breaks down. Every inch of fat renders. What comes off is transcendent.
- Cai

Bringing Asado to British Game

Here is where it gets interesting. The Argentines cook beef and lamb. We cook wild British game - venison, wild boar, whole deer. Nobody was doing this when I started. The combination of Argentine fire technique with British wild game was completely new territory.

And it works beautifully. Wild venison has less fat than farmed beef, so the slow cooking is even more important - it needs time to become tender. The oak and applewood smoke complements the natural earthiness of the game. And the spectacle of a whole fallow deer on the cross is unlike anything your guests will have seen before.

The Equipment

We do not use off-the-shelf equipment. Our crosses are custom-built to handle whole British deer - which are larger than Argentine lamb. Each one is hand-welded steel, adjustable for angle and height, and built to last a lifetime. We travel with fire pits, planchas (flat steel cooking surfaces for high-heat searing), and enough wood and charcoal to keep fires burning for 12 hours.

Everything is self-contained. We bring it all to your venue - wedding, corporate event, private party - set up, cook, serve, and leave no trace. You do not need a kitchen. You do not even need electricity. Just outdoor space and a sense of adventure.

Why It Matters

In a world of convenience food and microwave meals, asado is the opposite. It is slow. It is physical. It is communal. When you gather around a fire and watch a whole animal cooking, something shifts. People put their phones away. They talk. They watch. They smell the smoke and feel the heat and reconnect with something ancient.

That is why I do this. Not because it looks cool (though it does). Because it brings people together in a way that a buffet table never will.

If you have never seen an Argentine cross in action, come to one of our workshops. Or better yet, book us for your next event and watch your guests' faces when they see a whole deer turning over the flames.

Fire is the oldest cooking method in the world. We are just making sure people do not forget it.

- Cai