Asado For Christmas

 Yesterday was a sunny day with a high of 26C. This morning it is sunny and 22C. Today is going to be sunny and hot with a high of 30C. 

Yesterday morning was quiet as family went with grandson while he did his training on the beach. While they were there quite a few black Mercedes vans were parked and tourists were walking about. They figure a cruise ship was docked and people were exploring the city. 

Once home, we opened our gifts which was fun. Family gave me a new iPad which is waiting for me at home. I will be giving them money so they can have a new bbq made which will burn wood. 

We were back to son's friend's apartment for lunch. The day time view off the roof top deck is amazing. 

Way off in the horizon is a line up of tankers. They are anchored waiting to load or unload or waiting for their next assignment. 

Shortly after we arrived, the host and his girlfriend's father started the fire in the parrilla (bbq). The sign on the parrilla is appropriate. 

The sign translates to "The best bbq is eaten here".

The fire was started using wood in the separate firebox and it wasn't a small fire. 

It is angled so only the red hot coals fall into the bottom of the box. They are scraped out for heating the grill. 

The first hot coals were used to cook provolone cheese. 

The cheese is cooked until it is melted and has a brown skin on it. 

The cheese is removed from the heat and then rolled in the pan twice before put onto a wooden cutting board and cut into bite size pieces. The grease runs off the cheese into the groove on the board. 

It was so delicious and it disappeared in about 5 minutes. Another batch was made the same way. 

As more coals were ready they were raked out under the grill and the first item to go on were chorizo sausages. They are cooked slow. 

When the sausage is cooked, it is cut into thin slices and put on a board. You can eat it as is or on a bun. 

Both the cheese and herb sausage were delicious. While we ate that, more sausages were put on the grill to cook. While they were cooking, more wood was added to the fire box. They also threw a whole bag of bbq briquettes into the fire (bag and all). 

You can see the first of the beef just being placed onto the grill. It is slowly moved towards the end of the grill with the coals under it. 

The sausages were cut up and served. There was a bbq sausage (a bit spicy) and blood sausage. 

We sat and visited while the steak cooked as it is cooked very slowly. When done, it was cut across the grain into bite size pieces. 

This board had a deeper grove (gutter) for the meat juices and a circle cut out in the end closer to me. It had parrilla salt in it. You dip your meat into the salt before eating it. One of the steaks was salted with a different flavour of parrilla salt before it was cooked. 

After eating, the ladies danced on the deck. They were having fun. There was also a lot of singing. Before you knew it, dessert was being served. First it was ice cream bars (the best we've eaten). Then it was dulce de leche mousse. Very sweet to eat. 

There was chocolate to go with it. 

And a dulce de leche sponge cake that I didn't get a picture of as it disappeared quickly. At this point I was full and feeling a sugar high. 

Grandson and I came home about 5 pm and son and daughter-in-law arrived home around 7:30 pm. 

Today will be a trip to the grocery store for food and then we will probably rest. We are tired from two full days of going and eating. It is also going to be hot today which slows us down a lot. 

Until the next time..............................................................