The barbecue in Uruguay

The barbecue cooking is a technique in which food (generally beef cuts) are exposed to heat from fire or embers in order to cook slowly. It is often preferred as a source of heat the coals of a wood fire. Heat is transferred gradually to food, which is usually suspended on or near hot coals. The coals are obtained from charcoal or direct burning of wood. The woods are used to roast hardwoods such as oak, mesquite, quebracho or crown, which burn at high temperatures and for a long time.

A common method is to prepare a barbecue grill where meats are cooked horizontally. However, it is also possible to roast other methods. Another tool is used for roasting spit, a pole or metal spike punctured in which products of roasting. May be used for large spit roast a whole animal (lamb, pork, beef). They are also used for roasting espiedos small pieces of meat or poultry. There rotating mechanical espiedos by a motor, both on the fire or grilled, as in an oven. It is widely used in Brazilian cuisine.

A variant of the method of the spit is the "Grilled cross" or "the spit". The meats are arranged outside on the coals of vertically supported by a frame usually cross. With the cross-spit method also performed called "asado with leather", characteristic of Uruguayan gaucho tradition and Argentina. The cooking takes several hours with grilled over low heat, so that the leather does not burn. The purpose of grilling meat with leather is so that the meat does not dry with heat as would otherwise be very difficult for example roast beef without a back room to dry. Moreover, the leather gives it a unique flavor to the roast.