Following empanada success, Orejano cranks up the heat with new asado nights

The word “barbecue” can mean different things to different people. For some, it’s smoking pork shoulder or ribs low and slow for hours. For others, it’s searing burgers, hot dogs or steaks over high heat. 

But in South America, it translates to asado: the practice of roasting various cuts of meat over smoldering wood embers or charcoal using a specialized grill called a parrilla. The practice is so ingrained in the region’s culture that homes for sale often command five figures above local comps if they include an outdoor asado area, and new apartment complexes make a point of pre-installing grills on balconies as a standard option. 

So when Marcello Alvariza moved to Aurora from his native Uruguay with dreams of opening a restaurant to bring the flavors of home to the U.S., asado was always top of mind. But it took until now, a year after opening Orejano Casual Latin Cuisine on Aurora’s Havana Street, for him to make that happen. 

Starting next week, on June 25, the restaurant will begin holding special “Asado Nights” every Thursday at 6:30 p.m., when they’ll fire up the grill on the outdoor patio and host a traditional Uruguayan cookout, just like the parties Alvariza had back home. 

“This was something we always wanted to do,” he says, proudly standing over the parilla grill he purchased for a steal at an estate sale in Evergreen. As he explains his plans, the adjustable two-grate setup has dozens of sausages grilling on one side that’s lowered close to the coals, and two huge cuts of beef on the other raised high above for slower cooking. 

The sausages are called chorizo, but it’s not the Mexican chorizo many are accustomed to. There’s no chili or paprika seasoning to these links, which come out more pink than red and, if anything, are slightly sweeter under the fire-kissed char. 

“It’s completely different,” Alvariza says. “This is 100% pork, and has oregano and pepper and a few other things. But it’s not spicy.”

One link of this sausage is paired with one of Orejano’s famous empanadas (which we named Denver’s best) along with sliced bread, which together make up the “appetizer” option of the asado night special. The empanadas are the same as those served daily at the restaurant, save for one small step: these are deep-fried in the traditional manner rather than baked. 

“It’s exactly the same dough,” Alvariza says. “For this one, I do a deep fry because I want to do it like how we eat it in the countryside, like we do it in Uruguay. Baking got popular with catering because it’s easier to control. But the way that is traditional is with a deep fryer.”

The real star of the show, though, is the main meat course, featuring the standout picanha: a top sirloin cap steak, also known as a coulette, roasted whole. While the classic French preparation of this cut typically involves trimming the thick fat cap at the top, the Uruguayan way is to leave every millimeter of it intact, scored and grilled over the flames far enough away from the heat to allow the fat to slowly render and baste the meat as it cooks. 

While there will be other grilled meat options during asado nights, such as short rib or flank steak, the picanha is the way to go. Cooking the cut whole and then slicing it after it rests ensures an impossibly tender steak just oozing with juices. The layer of charred fat provides a crispy, chewy satisfaction not unlike that of pork belly (but you know — beef) that you’ll want to include in every bite. Put together, it needs no sauce, no chimichurri; just a sprinkling of salt and you’re on your way. 

It’s served with a generously dressed acidic salad and rice. There’s also a dessert option. So if you’re keeping track, the full menu is an appetizer of one empanada, one sausage link and bread; then the main course of a thick cut of steak with rice and salad; then dessert. That’s per person, which is so much food that Alvariza decided to make each course available à la carte rather than bundle it into a prix fixe meal. 

And this is just the start of Alvariza’s asado goals. Due to licensing and code issues, he’s using charcoal in the grill today: smaller briquettes under the sausage, and larger lump coal under the beef. If we were in Uruguay, he says, it would be all wood. Charcoal is generally used in asados from Argentina, while wood is the preferred fuel in Uruguay. 

“I don’t know if it has that much of a benefit, but it’s tradition,” Alvariza says. “In Uruguay, if you invite somebody to eat at a barbecue, normally nobody’s going to make it with charcoal. It’s just not popular in Uruguay.”

That’s why his longer-term plan is to eventually move the entire process inside, where he already has a second hood installed in the kitchen, in hopes of making asado available nightly using wood fuel. 

“If we can do it with real wood, that’s gonna get a lot better,” he promises.

But it’s already pretty damn good right now. If you want to sample the asado nights for yourself, plan ahead. Because of the time needed to cook and rest the meat, and the need to space out platings, the counter-service restaurant is requiring reservations for the asado nights and limiting guests for that option to about 50 a night. 

That may just be the start, though. Between the award-winning empanadas, the absolutely killer Uruguayan sandwiches and now the asado, Orejano could soon need a bigger space — if there’s any justice in the world. 

Orejano Casual Latin Cuisine is located at 800 S. Havana St. in Aurora and open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closing at 5 p.m. on Sundays. To make Asado Nights reservations, text  720-971-1389. For more information, visit orejanoco.com.