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Chinchulines
Chinchulines: beef small intestines grilled slowly until crunchy, part of the full Argentine asado
No proper Sunday asado in Buenos Aires province or the interior is complete without a round of achuras, and chinchulines are the boldest of them: beef small intestine, coiled on the grill and cooked slowly until the outside crackles like pork scratchings and the inside stays soft and rich with its own fat. Pass them round on a board with lemon and bread as a starter while the bigger cuts cook. Buy them already cleaned from a butcher or a Latin American meat counter, and rinse them again well at home. The usual mistake is too much heat: the outside burns long before the inside cooks. Offal must be cooked right through, with no soft, raw-looking parts. Chef's tip: simmer them briefly before grilling; it cleans them further, shortens the time on the coals and gives you a much more even crunch.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse 3 ⅓ lb beef small intestines inside and out under cold running water, running water through the tube, until it runs clear. Trim off any thick lumps of fat, leaving a thin layer.
Step 2: Put them in a large pot of cold water with 2 bay leaves and a spoonful of ⅓ tbsp coarse salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly firmer.
15 minStep 3: Drain, rinse again and pat dry. Cut into lengths of about 40 cm or leave whole and coil them.
Step 4: Prepare a grill with a medium-low bed of coals, hot enough to hold your hand at the grate for 7–8 seconds.
Step 5: Season with the rest of ⅔ tbsp coarse salt and grill, turning every 5–10 minutes and moving them away from any flare-ups, until crisp, deep brown and crunchy all the way along.
35 minStep 6: Check a piece: it should be crisp outside, hot right through and with no pale, soft, raw-looking sections. Cut into short lengths and serve at once with 3 lemons.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chinchulines take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of lemons?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
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