Reading a parrilla menu for the first time can be intimidating. Entraña, vacío, colita de cuadril, bife de chorizo: names that come straight from the Río de la Plata and that tell you far more than a simple portion size. Every cut has its own texture, its own level of fat, its own time on the fire. Knowing them means ordering better — and understanding why the same animal can offer such different experiences.
Here is our guide to the cuts we love most, the ones that hit the wood embers every evening at El Parrillero.
The flavourful cuts: beef with character
These are the cuts Uruguayans love most: not the most tender in absolute terms, but the ones with the most intense flavour, because they work harder and take on the taste of the embers like no other.
- Entraña — the thin strip of the diaphragm (skirt steak). It cooks fast, stays juicy and has a deep, almost wild flavour. It is one of our most requested cuts, and you can see why: it is the parrilla in its purest form.
- Vacío — the flank. Fibrous, marbled, wrapped in a membrane that turns crisp over the embers. It wants a slower cook and rewards you with a rare juiciness.
- Asado de tira — short ribs cut across the bone, the very icon of the asado. Meat clinging to the bone, sweet and full of flavour: on the fire, the bone does half the work.
The noble cuts: tenderness first
Here, softness and marbling rule. Leaner or more prized cuts, perfect for those who want the knife to glide.
- Bife de chorizo — the strip loin (sirloin). A rim of fat that melts, a firm, juicy heart: the perfect balance of flavour and tenderness.
- Ojo de bife / bife ancho — the boneless rib, in other words the ribeye. Generous marbling, full richness. For lovers of good fat.
- Lomo — the tenderloin (fillet). The most tender of all, lean and elegant. To be cooked with care so as not to lose its delicacy.
- Picaña — the tapa de cuadril, the rump cap with its hat of fat. Beloved across South America, it is sweet, juicy and spectacular when the fat caramelises over the embers.
Premium beef: when origin makes the difference
A good cut begins long before the fire: it begins in the pasture. That is why we work only with selected beef.
- Premium Uruguayan Black Angus — our benchmark of excellence: pasture-raised animals, on endless prairies, for honest, flavourful beef.
- Creekstone USA Prime — American marbling, absolute consistency, richness on the palate.
- Japanese A5 Wagyu — the summit. A marbling that melts like butter, for those who want the ultimate experience at least once.
If you want to understand why Uruguayan beef is so renowned, we talk about it in the difference between the Uruguayan parrilla and the Argentine asado.
Beyond red meat: pamplona and achuras
The parrilla is not only steaks. The rioplatense tradition also brings to the fire:
- Pamplona — a Uruguayan speciality: a roll of chicken or pork stuffed with peppers and cheese, slowly cooked.
- Chorizo and morcilla — the sausage and the blood sausage that open every asado worthy of the name.
- Mollejas and chinchulines — the achuras, the offal beloved by purists: crisp outside, tender within.
How to order: the parrillero’s advice
If it is your first time, our advice is simple: choose one flavourful cut and one noble cut, and share them. An entraña and a bife de chorizo, perhaps, with chimichurri and salsa criolla. That way you taste the two worlds of the parrilla in a single meal.
And remember: coarse salt is the only true seasoning. The rest is done by the wood, the embers and time.
Ready to put the theory to the test? Explore our full menu, discover what a true meat restaurant in Busto Arsizio is, or book your table.
