LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — A Lee's Summit barbecue restaurant took on a new challenge this week, trading its signature brisket and burnt ends for a traditional Argentine Asado that turned into a daylong celebration of beef, fire, and culture.
Filling Station BBQ owner Chris Nudson pulled off the cook on short notice.
"It was definitely new," Nudson said. "I wasn't sure what to expect. I think we pulled it off, took a little time."
The Asado featured Argentine beef staples, including the Picanha, known for its fat cap, rich flavor and cooked medium rare.
There also were slow-cooked beef ribs and the vacio, a cut that is difficult to find locally.
"The vacio is one of the most popular in Argentina. It has different cuts all together," Federico Carmona, a Kansas City resident originally from Argentina, said.
The vacio cooked for the event weighed over 22 pounds, comparable to the largest brisket on the market.
"The vacio is actually three different cuts of American beef together as one big piece," Mike Quick of Hertzog Meat Co., said.
The cut contains the flank, skirt, and bavette — portions that U.S. markets typically sell individually.
Quick, who supplied the meat for the event, said the scale of Argentine beef culture sets it apart.
In the United States, the beef industry prioritizes cuts for daily eating. Quick added that he had one meat cutter in his operation that knew how to cut it.
"When I was looking at one of the cuts that I was asked to bring today, one of the cuts was over 22 pounds," Quick said. "That would be equivalent to the biggest brisket you could find that is out there."
He also noted differences in how beef is raised between the two countries.
"It's a slower process in Argentina," Quick said. "In America, we try to raise our beef within 20-28 months and have it processed, whereas in Argentina, they'll go longer on grass. At one time in Argentina, they had more cattle than civilians."
With team Argentina playing in a quarterfinal FIFA World Cup 26 match against Switzerland on Saturday in Kansas City, Herzog Meat Company from Butler, Missouri, shared their locally raised beef to a set of Argentina fans to share the differences and similarities in barbecue culture.
Rather than barbecue sauce, the meats were seasoned with salt and served with homemade chimichurri — the Argentine equivalent of barbecue sauce.
"We want to let the meat give us the flavor," Lisandro Gonzalez, another Kansas City resident originally from Argentina, said. "We want the meat to give us everything that it has."
Nudson said the simplicity of the seasoning allowed the beef's natural flavor to come through.
"It's just salt, so it's easier to season, but the flavor comes through a lot more with it just being salt. It has a lot of flavor," Nudson said.
The result, on short notice, impressed the Argentine guests.
"Chris did an amazing job because it's not easy," Gonzalez said. "There's people who will spend years to learn the art of cooking meat, the fire and all that. You can tell he's really good at BBQ."
Quick said with a little bit of salt and chimichurri, they might have had some of the best beef we've ever had in our entire life.
For Carmona and Gonzalez, the asado was more than a meal — it was a connection to home.
"I've been excited all day! Even my wife is like, its just different for you today, because this will bring memories of Argentina," Carmona said.
An Asado in Argentina is not a quick affair. Carmona said anyone invited to one should clear their schedule.
"If somebody will invite you to an Asado, expect to be there all day," Carmona explained..
The tradition begins with picada — boards of cheese and salami — before moving through sausages, blood sausage, and the slowly cooked cuts like the vacio and ribs.
It's similar to Kansas City BBQ in that fashion, yet it's more of a happening while BBQ in America is seen as an everyday dish.
Nudson said the long cook is part of the excitement.
"That's why we do it, too," Nudson said. "People get excited. I mean this long cook, 10-12 hours, its exciting for everybody," Nudson said.
For the Argentines living in Kansas City, the day highlighted a shared passion between two beef-loving cultures.
"It's a great merge. It's a great partnership of Kansas City and South America because of their love of meat," Gonzalez said. "It's just really great to be able to enjoy both cultures, you know, that share the same type of passion and cooking and doing it slow."
Carmona said Kansas City's reputation for beef is something Argentines can appreciate — even if the sauce takes some getting used to.
"I really believe that Kansas City has a really good meat," Carmona added. "The BBQ sauce, we're not used to that in Argentina."
Quick said the two traditions ultimately come from the same place — a passion for cooking and beef.
"I think the core of it all, we all love beef" Quick said. "And we're all just approaching it differently."
As for whether Argentine cuts could one day appear on the Filling Station BBQ's regular menu, Nudson left the door open — with conditions.
"It'd have to be in the works, they'd have to win first, right?" Nudson said, laughing.
Filling Station BBQ told KSHB 41 if Argentina were to advance in the World Cup, they are considering hosting an Asado for locals and fans in the area.
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