La Brigada

Buenos Aires, Argentina

A San Telmo institution wrapped in football memorabilia (Maradona's jersey hangs on the wall). La Brigada is famous for one rule: no steak knives. The waiter cuts your bife de chorizo with the edge of a plate to prove how tender the meat is. The achuras course here is serious. The morcilla is thick, short-linked, and grilled over quebracho charcoal. The filling has a pronounced cumin note. Waiters in white jackets move through a dining room packed with framed photos of old Buenos Aires. Book ahead or prepare to wait on the sidewalk.

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Sausages served here

Morcilla Argentina

Buenos Aires & the Pampas

Morcilla is the opening act of every Argentine asado. The asador places these blood sausages on the grill first because they cook the fastest, buying time while beef ribs and flanks take their slow turn over the coals. The criolla version, dominant in Buenos Aires and the Pampas, packs pig's blood with chopped onion, cumin, and oregano inside a natural casing. Grilled until the skin blisters and cracks, each bite gives way to a soft, iron-rich interior. Argentines eat morcilla hot, often tucked into bread as a morcipan, while standing around the parrilla with a glass of Malbec.

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