Deconstructing the Barbecue

The barbecue, among other grilled meat dishes, is often the headliner on restaurant menus. In recent years, impacted by the boom in gourmet gastronomy, new cuts, matured meat, and a diversity of flavors have been incorporated.

Among the assortment of cattle guts are kidneys. They have their fans, but there are also those who are less keen, who turn their noses up at offal based on preconceptions. Kidneys offer a high level of nutrients and are a delicacy when cooked until crispy, and topped with a squeeze of lemon.
 

Constantly defended by meat-eaters, chitterlings (large intestines) require skilled grill chefs. They should be served with a golden, glistening crust, tender on the inside, and without any chewiness.

A barbecue can do without offal; while exquisite, it is less commonly found on menus or at family barbecues. However, a barbecue is not a barbecue without a choripan (hot dog) to start off the ceremony.  

A traditional barbecue must include short ribs and flank steak. However, in recent years, other cuts have been included, such as rump steak, skirt steak, sirloin steak, and tenderloin. It is also traditional to include chicken breasts or thighs.

Among the cold cuts, the second most important is the blood sausage. This is always located on a corner of the grill, where the heat warms it through, given it does not require cooking. 

Beef is imperative in its presence, flavor, and history, but pork sticks its snout in at any barbecue, especially cuts like brisket, spare ribs, or the increasingly popular cold cut known as bondiola.

Grilled ribs, either whole or split, are one of the most appetizing options for both locals and tourists. They are more readily found on grills in the countryside, in the outskirts of the big cities, or on gourmet grills designed especially for tourists.

Chuck ribs were born from the rejects from the English meat processing plants established in the late 19th century. As they were exporting bone-less meat, whole ribs were discarded, so the workers would take these ribs home. And a passion was born.