Chilean asado menu: what to cook and how much meat to buy
A complete menu for a Chilean asado (barbecue), from the grill to a cold dessert: choripán and anticuchos, salads and sauces to go with them, drinks for the heat and something sweet to finish. With the amount of meat worth buying for the number of guests and a work plan so that almost everything is ready before the charcoal is lit.
On the grill: choripán and anticuchos
The choripán (chorizo sandwich) goes first, as soon as there are coals, and keeps everyone busy while the meat finishes. The anticuchos (beef skewers) are the item on this menu that needs time in a marinade: start them the night before.
Work out how much meat to buy for your asado →
Choripán
Chorizo-style sausage browned whole, in a toasted marraqueta roll with pebre. One per person as a starter while the meat cooks.
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Chilean anticuchos
Beef skewers marinated in ají de color and cumin, threaded with onion and pepper. The meat goes into the marinade the night before.
View recipeNo grill? Use the griddle or a pan
An apartment asado works too. These two recipes are made in a very hot pan or on a griddle, with no smoke or charcoal, and are served with the same salad and sauces.
Juicy pork chops
A quick 15-minute brine, a hot pan for 3 to 4 minutes per side, and a rest before slicing.
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Griddled chicken breasts
Even thickness, a medium-high sear and a 5-minute rest to keep them juicy.
View recipeSalads and potatoes: the essentials
Ensalada chilena and papas mayo are the classic sides. Both go a long way, need no grill, and leave whoever is in charge of the meat free to cook.
Ensalada chilena
Peeled tomato and thinly sliced soaked onion with cilantro, oil and salt. Ready in 20 minutes with no cooking; one large tomato per person.
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Papas mayo
Potatoes boiled in their skins, cubed, with homemade lemon mayonnaise, chives and parsley. The potatoes can be boiled the night before.
View recipeSauces and bread for the table
An asado table is not complete without pebre and bread. The sauces take minutes, and the bread carries the choripán and wipes the plate.
Chilean pebre
Tomato, soaked onion, cilantro and chili, finely chopped. The sauce for the bread, the choripán and the meat.
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Chancho en piedra
Tomato, garlic and chili crushed in a mortar with oil and salt. More intense than pebre, for spreading on bread.
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Marraqueta
The crusty pan batido roll that splits in two, the one that holds the choripán. If you would rather bake it, the recipe explains hydration and steam.
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Pan amasado
Country bread made with lard, with a soft crumb and golden crust. It makes four loaves and goes well with pebre and chancho en piedra.
View recipeTo drink: from the terremoto to aguas frescas
Some drinks can be left ready: the pisco sour in a pitcher before the guests arrive and the aguas frescas (fruit and flower waters) the night before. That way nobody misses the grill to pour drinks.
Terremoto
Very cold pipeño (young wine) with pineapple ice cream and a touch of grenadine or fernet. Poured glass by glass; there is an alcohol-free version.
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Chilean pisco sour
Three parts pisco, one part pica lime juice and one part syrup, shaken with ice. The mix can wait in a pitcher.
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Aperol spritz
The 3-2-1 rule over ice: prosecco, Aperol and soda. Ready in 5 minutes and popular on hot afternoons.
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Agua de jamaica
One cup of hibiscus flowers for two liters of water. It chills in the fridge before serving and has no alcohol.
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Lemon and chia water
Juice of six lemons, hydrated chia and two liters of water. Made in 10 minutes and served very cold.
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Agua de horchata
Rice, cinnamon and evaporated milk: creamy and gentle for guests who skip alcohol. The rice needs four hours of soaking.
View recipeTo finish: something cold
After the meat, something fresh is welcome. Both desserts are made ahead and served cold.
Mote con huesillo
Dried peaches in their spiced syrup over husked wheat: Chile's classic refresher, served very cold with its juice.
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Lemon tart
A buttery biscuit base with a soft, tangy lemon cream. Made ahead and served cold.
View recipeHow much meat and bread to buy for the number of guests
Figures for adults, with salads and sides and a varied mix of beef, pork, chicken and sausages. For children, an asado without sides or another mix, use the calculator.
| Adults | Raw meat (kg) | Choripanes | Bread (rolls) | Drinks (L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2.4 | 6 | 6 | 4.5 |
| 10 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 7.5 |
| 20 | 8 | 20 | 20 | 15 |
| 30 | 12 | 30 | 30 | 22.5 |
The work plan: how to get to the asado without rushing
A good asado is settled before the charcoal is lit. This split leaves only the meat and the last details for grill time:
- The night before: boil the potatoes for the papas mayo, leave the anticuchos meat in its marinade, make the agua de jamaica or the horchata (the horchata needs about 4 hours of soaking) and put the drinks on to chill.
- The morning of the asado: make the chancho en piedra, assemble the papas mayo and leave the dessert in the fridge. If there is pisco sour, leave the mix in a pitcher to shake when serving.
- An hour before: take the meat out of the fridge, chop the pebre and the ensalada chilena (the two fresh things of the day) and light the charcoal 30 to 40 minutes ahead: start grilling when the coals are covered in white ash.
- At serving time: choripanes first with pebre; then the meat, starting with whatever takes longest (thick cuts with bone); salad and potatoes to the table, and the cold dessert to finish.
Asado frequently asked questions
What do you eat at a Chilean asado?
The usual order is a choripán as a starter, then beef (short ribs, skirt steak, striploin), pork (ribs) and chicken, with ensalada chilena, papas mayo, pebre and marraqueta bread. To drink there is beer, wine, terremoto or aguas frescas, and something cold for dessert such as mote con huesillo.
What sides should I bring to an asado?
If you are asked to bring something, the safe choices are ensalada chilena (one large tomato per person), papas mayo boiled the night before, a pebre or a chancho en piedra for the bread, and a pitcher of agua fresca. All four are made without a grill and travel well.
How much meat and bread should I buy?
Between 350 and 500 g of raw meat per adult, depending on whether there are sides. For 10 adults with salads and potatoes that is about 4 kg of meat and 10 rolls for the choripanes. The asado calculator adjusts the amounts for children, the kind of asado and the mix of meats.
What if I do not have a grill?
The menu works in an apartment. Anticuchos turn out very well in a very hot pan or on a griddle (4 to 5 minutes per side), and the pork chops and chicken breasts are made in a pan in a few minutes. With ensalada chilena, papas mayo and the sauces, the table is complete without lighting charcoal.
What can I prepare the day before?
Almost everything except the meat on the grill: the boiled potatoes, the anticuchos marinade, the aguas frescas, the horchata and the dessert. On the day itself you still have the pebre, the ensalada chilena, the pisco sour mix and the coals.
Looking for more ideas?
The guide to traditional Chilean recipes gathers twenty-seven dishes of Chilean cooking, the Fiestas Patrias menu suggests what to cook for the 18th, and the full recipe list has the whole catalog.