The fire is the most important part. The cook (called the 'asador') lights a wood fire early - sometimes two or three hours before the food goes on. The wood burns down to glowing coals, and only then is the meat slowly grilled over them. Slow cooking, slow eating.
An asado is shared. Everyone helps a little. Someone brings the bread. Someone makes a green sauce called chimichurri - made from parsley, garlic, oil and a splash of vinegar - to drizzle on everything. Someone sets the long table. Children run around. Nobody is in a hurry.
Different parts of Argentina have different asado styles. In the cattle country of the Pampas, the meat is often cooked on a flat metal grill called a 'parrilla'. In Patagonia, where the wind blows hard, asados are often cooked indoors over a fire pit. In the north, more vegetables and corn are mixed in.
An asado is not just food - it is a way of saying 'we have time for each other'. To be invited to someone's asado in Argentina is a real welcome. It means: come and stay for the whole afternoon.