What Is an Asado Grill?

An asado grill is a wood-fired grill built for cooking over embers rather than flames. The word comes from Argentina, where asado means both the grill and the long, sociable meal you cook on it.

You raise and lower the cooking surface to control the heat. There are no dials or electronics. You're part of the cook, no setting the app and walking away. Closer to the embers for searing, higher for slow roasting.

Where the Name Comes From

In Argentina an asado is an event. Friends arrive in the afternoon and the fire goes in early. Meat, vegetables and bread cook slowly while everyone talks, and dinner happens when it happens.

The grill that makes this possible is the parrilla. In the UK we tend to call the whole thing an asado grill, and we named our range after it.

How an Asado Grill Works

Three things set it apart from a typical BBQ.

1. A firebox at the back

On a Somerset Grill this is the Ember Maker. Wood burns here and drops glowing embers into the cooking area. You get steady heat without raw flame under your food.

2. Height adjustment

The Grill Frame moves up and down with a handle. That gives you 40–400°C from a single fire.

3. The V Grill

V-shaped bars carry fat into a drip tray instead of onto the embers. Flare-ups are rare, and the fat bastes the food on its way past.

What You Can Cook on One

Steaks over high heat. A whole chicken turning on the Rotisserie. A shoulder of lamb hung on Meat Hooks for 4 hours, a curry in a pot beside it, and flatbreads on the Cattle Grid Grill while everyone waits. Whole peppers and onions go straight into the embers, skins blackening, sweet inside.

There are 12 ways to cook on the same fire. You'll find all of them in the Asado Hub.

Is It Hard to Use?

No. The fire takes about an hour to build a bed of embers. After that, you control everything with the handle.

"Might be beginners luck, but the grill is so controllable."
Peter, Trustpilot

Most owners feel confident by their second or third cook. Start with How to Light a Fire, then The Hand Test, and you've got most of what you need.

Asado Grills in the UK

Traditional Argentinian grills are large and heavy, and most of them are built into a wall. We took the principles and built a grill for a British garden. It arrives fully assembled. There are 3 sizes.