I am introducing BBQ season today, Colombian style. Below you will find all recipes for the typical Colombian sides served at a BBQ plus links to the meats. I was not paid to do this, I wanted to give you a nice overview of where to get what for a Colombian BBQ when living in Germany. As I am married to a Colombian, he is always eager to eat Colombian food. So when we were on holiday in Spain and his family suggested an “asado colombiano”, he got super excited. I was excited as well and took the opportunity to snap pictures of it all. Some pictures are from another time as we didn’t have corn on the cob this time and I wanted to be sure to include it in the list of sides below.
You may realize when looking at the pictures that Colombians simply grill the meat, but don’t necessarily season it other than with salt and pepper. The main event is prepping all the sides that are served alongside the meat. Kindly note that the avocado cream named guacamole is not spicy, it is definitely much milder than the Mexican version. Guacamole is often served with other food as well. If you fill the corn flatbread named arepa, you can use guacamole. The dip aji is usually also served with Colombian empanadas. Another typical side are potatoes with a salt crust. You may think of it as similar to the German potatoe salad, which is a staple in Germany if you grill.
Typical sides for a Colombian BBQ: potatoes with a salt crust, guacamole (avocado cream) and the dip called aji. Ketchup is normally not served.
A Colombian BBQ consists of different meat cuts, potatoes with a salt crust, grilled corn on the cob, yellow plantain, aji, and guacamole. Grill the meat according to your preferences. In Colombia often all components are cut into smaller pieces (see pics) so you can take a little of each. For the potatoes cook them in lots of water with skin on and a little salt until soft. Drain and then add a generous amount of salt. Some cook the drained potatoes for about a minute on low with lots of salt so that the salt sticks and a crust is built. For the yellow plantains, peel and put on grill with the corn on the cob. Best to grill with indirect heat. You may also wrap in aluminium foil and place in the embers. Once done, brush corn with butter and sprinkle with salt. You can also make a dessert with the plantains containing cheese and quince paste. See recipe here. For the aji cut all ingredients you can cut and mix with the rest, season to taste. Ají can be made in advance and will keep a few days if covered in the fridge. The taste will intensify. For the guacamole cut avocados in half, take out stone and spoon the flesh into a bowl. Chop tomatoes and shallot into small cubes and add. Add spices, lime juice, and chopped cilantro. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.A Colombian BBQ
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Instructions
Pictured are thin beef steaks, chorizo and corn on the cob
In Colombia the prepared food is often cut into smaller pieces so that people can pick from each. You may also be served an entire plate full of each component (see pic on the right)
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