Argentine-Style Asado Short Ribs with Chimichurri

Start your fire 90 minutes before cooking. Build a hardwood or lump charcoal fire in a chimney starter or to one side of your grill. Let it burn until flames die down completely and you have glowing white coals with light ash coating.

While the fire develops, make the chimichurri: Finely chop parsley and oregano. Mince garlic. Combine herbs and garlic in a bowl with red wine vinegar, olive oil, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well and let sit at room temperature.

Remove short ribs from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Pat completely dry with paper towels—moisture prevents proper crust formation. Season generously on all sides with coarse sea salt only.

Using a metal shovel or long tongs, spread coals under the cooking grate to create three zones: a hot zone with thick coal coverage for searing, a medium zone with scattered coals, and a cool zone with no coals for resting.

Place short ribs bone-side down over the hot zone. Sear for 4-5 minutes until a dark crust forms. Flip and sear the meaty side for another 4-5 minutes. Don't move them during searing.

Move ribs to the medium heat zone, bone-side down. Close the grill lid if using a kettle grill, leaving vents open. Cook for 2 hours, flipping every 30 minutes. Add fresh coals from your fire every 45 minutes to maintain steady heat.

Check for doneness after 2 hours—the meat should be tender and pulling away from the bone, with an internal temperature of 200-205°F. If needed, continue cooking in 15-minute intervals.

Move ribs to the cool zone and let rest for 15 minutes, loosely tented with foil. This allows juices to redistribute throughout the meat.

Slice between bones to separate individual ribs. Serve immediately with generous spoonfuls of chimichurri over the top. Pass extra chimichurri at the table.