What is asado banderita?
Asado banderita is short rib cut thin — between 2 and 3 cm thick — instead of the usual four fingers. It is the same cut of beef rib, sawn across the bone, but being thinner it cooks in minutes over a hot fire rather than an hour over a moderate one. The name comes from the shape: the thin strip of meat hanging from the pieces of bone looks like a little flag on its pole.
How it differs from ordinary asado de tira
It is the same cut, not a different one: beef rib sawn across the bone. The only thing that changes is the thickness, and that detail changes everything else.
Classic asado de tira runs three to four fingers thick and asks for a moderate fire and patience. Banderita, at 2 to 3 cm, is done over a hot fire and in minutes. It is asado for when there is no time, which is why it turns up so often at lunchtime grills.
Why it does not forgive mistakes
The thinner the cut, the narrower the window between raw and dry. On a thick asado de tira, a couple of extra minutes go unnoticed; on a banderita, they do not.
The technique that solves it is the thermal shock: lay it bone side down first on a very hot grill. The bone acts as insulation and buys a few seconds of margin while the meat starts to sear on the other side.
Salt goes on coarse and only a few minutes before: salted in advance, a thin cut dries out.
How to ask for it at the butcher
Ask for asado de tira cut thin, banderita style — that is enough in any Argentine butcher. Some have it already cut; others will do it there and then on the saw.
Outside Argentina the cut exists under other names: in English it is flanken-cut short ribs, and in Brazil you ask for costela cortada em tiras finas.
The recipe
Frequently asked questions
- Is asado banderita the same as asado de tira?
It is the same cut, cut thinner: 2 to 3 cm instead of three or four fingers. That is what makes it cook in minutes rather than an hour.
- Why is it called banderita?
Because of the shape: the thin strip of meat hanging from the little pieces of bone looks like a flag on its pole.
- How long does it take on the grill?
Minutes, not hours. It depends on the fire and the thickness, but this is a hot-fire, short-cooking cut: what matters is the point, not the clock.
- How do I ask for it at the butcher?
As asado de tira cut thin, banderita style. In English the equivalent cut is flanken-cut short ribs.
Updated on 2026-08-04