1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,760 Six cooks. 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:05,400 Six countries. 3 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:07,960 Six incredible journeys. 4 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:10,960 Aaaaahh! 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,080 Stepping outside their comfort zones... 6 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,640 It's not for the faint-hearted, for sure. 7 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:20,560 ..our cooks will travel far and wide... 8 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:21,680 Route 7 all the way. 9 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:27,320 ..to find some of the most exciting food on the planet. 10 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,120 If you're back in the UK, you've got a tandoori chicken, 11 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,280 nothing like this. 12 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,400 It's beautiful, this is the best food I've had in Egypt. 13 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:39,080 It's pure, it's got heritage, it's got love in it, you know. 14 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:41,840 They'll go off the beaten track... 15 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:44,600 Crocodile. Crocodile sausages. 16 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,000 ..meeting extraordinary people, 17 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,800 exploring ways of life unchanged for centuries. 18 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,560 No electric blenders in the jungle, have to do everything by hand. 19 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:00,800 Take your life into your own hands, we're on the road now. 20 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:03,320 As they travel they'll see how the language of food 21 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:05,160 transcends cultural differences. 22 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:07,560 I've never huffed on a cheese before. 23 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:09,400 And a world away from home. 24 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:11,960 This is why I love Australia. 25 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:14,600 There's no excuse for a bad pie in Australia. No. 26 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,880 This is the beginning, where do we end? 27 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:21,000 They'll learn lessons that could change the way we cook forever. 28 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:25,480 I've been cooking a barbecue wrongly all my life. 29 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:26,520 Wow! 30 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,280 This time, beef connoisseur and MasterChef judge John Torode 31 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:42,000 travels to what could almost be his culinary homeland, Argentina. 32 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:43,560 It's a bloke's dream, this is. 33 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:47,360 He'll go native with the gauchos... 34 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,920 ..learn the secrets of cooking with fire... 35 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,000 This for me is a revelation. 36 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,640 ..and search for the best piece of steak in the world. 37 00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:59,200 What a way to eat. 38 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:00,920 What a way to cook. 39 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:02,560 What a way to live. 40 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,960 'I've travelled halfway around the world to reach Argentina's 41 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:15,120 'capital city, Buenos Aires. 42 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:20,560 'This is the country that for the last 20 years has consumed 43 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,000 'more beef than anywhere on the planet.' 44 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:27,720 We are standing in Buenos Aires, in a suburb, on the roadside, 45 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:33,080 and here we go, a barbecue, and it smells great, absolutely great. 46 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,760 'In my 35 years as a chef, I've run restaurants built on beef 47 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,360 'and written books about beef, but amazingly this is my first trip 48 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:47,160 'to its spiritual heartland. 49 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:50,440 'And I can't wait to get started.' 50 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:54,920 I want to go to the Pampas. I want to meet the herdsmen. 51 00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:57,680 I want to meet the gauchos. I want to understand the butchery. 52 00:02:57,680 --> 00:02:59,720 I want to find the best possible cut of beef 53 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:02,720 and I want to be able to find out the best way to cook it. 54 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,440 'I've come here to find out about the foodstuff that 55 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:09,480 'dominates my professional life and the country that creates it. 56 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,680 'Beef is in Argentina's DNA. 57 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,240 'After the end of the Spanish colonial rule, 58 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,000 'the new country capitalised on the cattle grazing 59 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,600 'the lush plains surrounding Buenos Aires. 60 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,320 'Immigration helped build the country 61 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:29,640 'into one of the world's wealthiest. 62 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:32,320 'Behind it all was beef. 63 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,600 'In a city built on the fruit of the countryside, how appropriate 64 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,480 'that once a week the countryside comes to the city.' 65 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,040 Beautiful, aren't you? Aren't you beautiful? 66 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:54,560 'Here at the Mataderos market the people of Buenos Aires 67 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:56,680 'celebrate traditional rural life 68 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:00,000 'and the cowboys of the Pampas, gauchos, 69 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,640 'who rear this city's daily meat. 70 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,120 'I feel as though I need to pinch myself. 71 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:16,000 'This is the start of my very own beef odyssey.' 72 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,440 It is magical, absolutely magical. 73 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:28,240 It's a bloke's dream, this is. 74 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:29,880 'There is beef everywhere.' 75 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,040 And he obviously eats quite a bit of it. 76 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:41,760 That's beef... 77 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,600 That's beef, I get that, but that... 78 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:47,320 is an armadillo. 79 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:48,720 Peludo. Palulo. 80 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:54,400 Great! 81 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:57,960 'The jury's out on armadillo, but there's plenty more on offer. 82 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,000 'Some I'm more familiar with.' 83 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:04,840 Loads of ladies over here making empanadas. 84 00:05:04,840 --> 00:05:08,000 Every single one of them being handmade. 85 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,680 It's a piece of pastry, inside is a filling of meat or vegetables 86 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:15,400 or fish and it's deep fried. 87 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,640 'Empanadas may be a lovely starter, 88 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,520 'but they're really only the warm-up to the main course. 89 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,840 'And to help me get my head around Argentina's love affair with beef 90 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:30,600 'I've hooked up with Narda Lepes, Argentina's Nigella Lawson.' 91 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:32,200 Hola! 92 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:36,080 That's the problem with hanging out with celebrities, 93 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,120 you see, she's famous here. 94 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:42,480 I mean, you'd have to be blind not to see that beef is everywhere. 95 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:47,000 Yes, it is. How important is beef to Argentinian culture? 96 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:51,440 Regular Argentinian thinks that if he doesn't eat meat, 97 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:53,040 he didn't eat at all. 98 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:54,400 He lost a meal. 99 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,560 Right, what are we going to eat from here, then? What's...? 100 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,720 Well, we have this. 101 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:04,400 When it comes to meat sandwiches, we cut our meat word in half 102 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:06,440 and we put pan beside it. 103 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:08,840 So what's a vaciopan? What's vaciopan? 104 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:11,800 That's the big piece of meat. Yep. 105 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:14,040 Very well done it will be, of course. 106 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,600 Hola. Vaciopan y choripan. 107 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,600 'In the UK, barbecues are becoming ever more popular, 108 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,120 'but this is a whole new level. 109 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:25,840 'Here it's called an asado 110 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:28,560 'and it isn't a pastime, it's a way of life.' 111 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,120 Celebration is around meat. 112 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:35,320 Every Sunday you will have a family asado, 113 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:38,880 that's something you will have, so that's what we all did. 114 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:40,480 'And wherever there's an asado, 115 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:42,600 'there'll be a certain accompaniment.' 116 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:44,200 You have to put chimichurri. 117 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:46,040 Chimichurri... Chimichurri. 118 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:48,360 ..is garlic... 119 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:52,000 Garlic, oregano, chilli flakes, 120 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,600 vinegar, oil and some brine. 121 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:59,280 If it's really good, it's made with brine and not salt. 122 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:02,040 'See, my favourite cut of beef is a rump steak 123 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,000 'cooked really quickly over flame.' 124 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:06,280 Have it! 125 00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:09,720 'But it looks like my first taste of Argentinian beef is going to be 126 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,840 'from a piece of flank that's been cooking all morning 127 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:14,800 'and then served in a bun.' 128 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:18,760 Delicious! 129 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:23,320 'If beef cooked simply on the streets is that good 130 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:26,680 'it bodes pretty well for the rest of my trip.' 131 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:29,760 This is properly delicious! 132 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:32,080 Oh, my God. 133 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,000 'So I've had my first taste of cooked beef, 134 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,800 'but if I'm going to understand what makes Argentinian beef so renowned, 135 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,000 'I need to see it a bit more fresh.' 136 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:53,360 'Here on the outskirts of Buenos Aires is the Liniers cattle market. 137 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,920 'Each week, up to 50,000 head of cattle come here 138 00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:01,520 'to be sold at auction. 139 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,160 'Their next stop is the slaughterhouse. 140 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,400 'The official price of beef nationwide is set here.' 141 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:17,040 'And the first thing I notice is the breeds look pretty familiar.' 142 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,200 Great-looking animals. 143 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:23,280 'In fact, they're British, Herefords and Aberdeen Angus, 144 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,920 'a legacy from the 19th century, when British expertise 145 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:30,160 'and investment launched Argentina's beef industry.' 146 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:36,840 And the atmosphere is electric. 147 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:40,640 I mean, they are actually auctioning live animals here right now. 148 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:44,480 'Amongst those bidding, I've managed to find one English speaker. 149 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,960 'Mariano Richards buys cattle here for one of Argentina's 150 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:50,200 'biggest abattoirs.' 151 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,120 Tell me what breed are you...? What breed do you look for? 152 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:54,920 Aberdeen Angus. 153 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:56,160 Aberdeen Angus. Yes. 154 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:58,960 But Aberdeen Angus comes from Scotland, not from Argentina. 155 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:01,560 Yes, but we have better Aberdeen Angus here. 156 00:09:01,560 --> 00:09:04,520 Do you? Brilliant, and tell me, when you buy... 157 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:06,000 Black or red. 158 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,160 Black or red, doesn't really matter which. Yes. 159 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:12,000 Tell me, when you're buying cattle like this, what are you looking for? 160 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:18,560 We're looking a young animal and...not too thin or not too fat. 161 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:24,000 'In the UK, prime beef cattle like this would cost 162 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,160 'up to £2.50 a kilo at auction.' 163 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,880 If I was to buy, say, that black one in the middle there, 164 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:33,560 that Aberdeen Angus, how much would it cost me? 165 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:35,520 19 pesos a kilo. 166 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:40,040 19 pesos a kilo, which is about £1, £1.50 per kilo. Yes. 167 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:42,200 That's not a lot of money, is it? 168 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:44,160 Mmm, no. 169 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:48,120 'So live meat here, where cheap beef is considered a birthright, 170 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,440 'is around half the price it is in Britain. 171 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:53,080 'This is no accident. 172 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,840 'The government policy here is to keep the prices low. 173 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:57,720 'Now, that's good for the consumer, 174 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,960 'but it's hard to see how the farmers can make a living. 175 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,920 'American Mike Skowronek has been farming cattle in Argentina 176 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:12,800 'for domestic consumption for 11 years, so he would know.' 177 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:13,840 Feedlot! 178 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:18,120 During the auction I heard the word feedlot. What's feedlot? 179 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:21,760 Oh, feedlot is an animal containment facility 180 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:26,680 where the animals are taken and fed various grains 181 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:31,480 and dry substances to fatten them for slaughter. 182 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:37,120 Sorry, so...the animals aren't out on the land at all? 183 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:38,840 No, feedlot animals, no. 184 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,200 Isn't Argentinian beef all about the Pampas? 185 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,480 Traditionally, yes, but more and more, 186 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:46,920 every year that goes by, less and less. 187 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:52,400 What percentage of the beef in Argentina, then, now is on feedlot? 188 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:54,840 I would say that...upwards of 80%. 189 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:58,200 Today. 80?! 190 00:10:58,200 --> 00:10:59,440 80%. 191 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:02,000 80% of the beef that you're eating in Argentina 192 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:03,440 is actually from feedlot? 193 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,840 That's right. Our official figures will be lower. 194 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:10,640 'Official figures for domestic consumption from feedlot are lower, 195 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,000 'in fact they're 25%. 196 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,960 'But all of this comes as a shock to me.' 197 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:20,360 I embarked on this journey to know more about Argentinian beef, 198 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,280 to go to the Pampas, to see the grass, to see these amazing cattle, 199 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:26,200 and what has just happened here is I've been dropped a bombshell, 200 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:28,360 and the bombshell is that somebody suggests 201 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:34,040 that maybe 80% of Argentinian beef is grown in feedlots on grain. 202 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,200 Well, that changes everything, doesn't it? 203 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:41,440 That changes the whole perception of what Argentinian beef is all about. 204 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:46,520 I feel slightly heartbroken. 205 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:52,120 'It's a million miles from what I expected 206 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:55,000 'and it doesn't fit the image I had at all. 207 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,600 'To discover more, I need to hit the road. 208 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:03,280 'Just two hours' drive from Buenos Aires and you're in the Pampas. 209 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,000 'In my imagination, the bovine paradise. 210 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:09,880 'But the first cows I'm going to see are in pens, 211 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:13,520 'because Mike's put me in touch with a feedlot that I can visit.' 212 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,720 This is absolutely nothing like I expected. 213 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:23,000 I hear feedlot and I thought more like a factory, but what this is 214 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,240 is just a whole lot of cattle... 215 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:27,840 ..on mounds. 216 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:30,520 It's... 217 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:33,760 It's extraordinary. 218 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,000 There's thousands of animals... 219 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:39,840 ..on dirt. 220 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:47,000 'It's a far cry from the image I had of cows roaming the pastures 221 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:49,520 'and gently munching grass. 222 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,800 'The feedlot here has been going for 18 years, 223 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:55,480 'managed by Federico Rivarola.' 224 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:59,680 How many head of cattle have you got here, Federico? 225 00:12:59,680 --> 00:13:02,720 Right now we have 10,000. 226 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,240 10,000 animals? 227 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,120 10,000. 10,000 animals. 228 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:11,400 'This is a form of intensive farming, 229 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:14,360 'where cows are bought to be fattened for slaughter. 230 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:18,240 'A lifestyle very different from the traditional way of rearing cattle, 231 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,360 'where cows spend their whole lives on grass. 232 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:25,160 'In the UK, the vast majority of cattle are still 233 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,120 'completely grass-fed, so you know what you're getting. 234 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:32,240 'At this place I have no idea what these animals are eating.' 235 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:35,960 They eat corn - it's a primary - 236 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,360 maize and wet corn with their feed, 237 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:39,840 so they can get bigger. 238 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:42,680 These kind of animal can... 239 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:49,720 ..can be...1.6 kilos per day. 240 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:53,520 They can increase in size by 1.6 kilos a day? Yes. 241 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:58,360 'Cows raised totally on grass will take up to two years 242 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:00,680 'to reach slaughter weight. 243 00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:03,640 'The high-energy feedlot diet offers a short cut. 244 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:07,320 'A cow coming here at six months old can be ready for the table at 245 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:12,320 '11 months old, less than half the time and at a fraction of the cost.' 246 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,800 'I can't help but wonder whether this all affects the actual taste.' 247 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,680 Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho! 248 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,880 That's... Look at this. 249 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:26,840 That's what I'm talking about! 250 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:30,960 'Up at the house, Federico's father has organised a little asado, 251 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,400 'composed exclusively of feedlot beef. 252 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,000 'A whole new experience for me.' 253 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,040 It's very creamy. 254 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:41,120 That's the only way I can explain it. 255 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:44,160 It's creamy, almost sort of milk-like. 256 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:45,560 It's very sweet 257 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:47,600 and quite, quite delicious. 258 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,280 Very nice, no? Mm. 259 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:54,840 'It's all a bit confusing. 260 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:58,800 'I came to Argentina to find out what makes its beef so special, 261 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,080 'assuming it was the grass and the lifestyle. 262 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:04,880 'But here I'm greedily tearing meat off the bone 263 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,200 'that was raised totally differently.' 264 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:12,640 'So my first outing on the Pampas isn't turning out 265 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:15,320 'quite as I had expected. 266 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:18,360 'It looks like I've got a lot more to learn than I thought.' 267 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,520 The markets on the edge of Buenos Aires, on this busy city, 268 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:28,120 you drive down a road and suddenly there's a feedlot. 269 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:32,240 It's just a country which is... joined together by beef. 270 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,320 It's like this big conga of beef. 271 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,400 'No cow-conga on this stretch of road, though.' 272 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:50,800 The landscape's sort of like it's been cut up and divided into patches 273 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:55,520 and there's patches of absolute green and then there's just 274 00:15:55,520 --> 00:16:01,600 this patch of scarred land which looks burnt and brown and grey. 275 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:10,040 'The brown I'm seeing is the aftermath of a soy harvest. 276 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,480 'Seen as a wonder crop which could save the Argentine economy 277 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:21,760 'in the 1990s, vast swathes of the Pampas were converted to soy.' 278 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:25,560 And so greedy are they for it they're not just 279 00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:27,280 planting on their own land 280 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:30,960 but they're also planting on the verges on the roadside, 281 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:34,240 and kilometre after kilometre along the highways 282 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:36,720 is left behind with this brown-ness. 283 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:42,760 'Much of it is exported for use as animal feed. 284 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:46,240 'But in Argentina the cattle have lost out.' 285 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:51,800 Is this the future of what used to be once the verdant green-ness 286 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:53,800 of the Pampas of Argentina? 287 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,120 It's not very attractive, is it? 288 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,040 'In just a couple of decades, centuries of tradition 289 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:07,440 'have come under threat from the twin temptations of feedlot and soy. 290 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:11,600 'But I'm not prepared to accept defeat quite yet 291 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:14,240 'and, as I always say, tomorrow is a new day.' 292 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:24,520 I'm off to a place called Ombu, 293 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:28,920 which is an estancia, or a ranch, cattle ranch. 294 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:32,960 I've been recommended it because it's somewhere I can stay overnight 295 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:36,040 but more importantly it's still a working property, 296 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:38,680 which means they graze their cattle on the Pampas, 297 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:41,760 there's gauchos, or herdsmen, who look after the animals 298 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:44,280 and it's going to be a chance to actually 299 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:48,600 see the gauchos at their work and understand the cattle on the Pampas. 300 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:15,760 Good morning. 301 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:18,680 And I...I think this is what Argentina was supposed 302 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:23,200 to be like in my mind, this sort of Latin American architecture, 303 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:25,440 very sort of Spanish in feel. 304 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:28,560 Wide open spaces, horses, cattle, 305 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:32,480 but what I didn't expect is how verdant it is. 306 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:35,200 It's every shade of green. 307 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:38,480 You understand now why the cattle love it so much. 308 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,920 Lots of grass, no hills, a bit of shade. 309 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:46,560 They must have a happy life out here. 310 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,880 'Acres and acres of lush grass and flat terrain 311 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:53,040 'are the ideal conditions for cows to get maximum nutrition 312 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:55,000 'with minimum effort. 313 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,000 'That was the combination which built the industry 314 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,120 'and culture here in the first place. 315 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:06,520 'This estancia has all the romance I came looking for. 316 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:08,480 'But to survive these days, 317 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:12,520 'many traditional farms like this one have had to diversify. 318 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,400 'Ombu offers rooms for rent.' 319 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:17,000 Good morning. 320 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,160 Good morning, sir. You're Jorge? 321 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,920 I'm Jorge. Very nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. 322 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,320 'So I have a chance to see gauchos at work.' 323 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,720 My experience on horses is not great, 324 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:31,520 but you know, hey, I'm out in the Pampas, there's horses, 325 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:33,680 there's cattle, I might as well get amongst it 326 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:35,640 and do the job, mightn't I? 327 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:37,160 Right. 328 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:40,520 As long as I can get my foot up. Arghhh! 329 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:41,880 No. 330 00:19:44,120 --> 00:19:45,160 Go on. 331 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:49,000 '72-year-old Oscar comes from a venerable line of gauchos. 332 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:51,320 'In his many decades in the saddle 333 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:54,080 'he's seen everything the Pampas has to offer.' 334 00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:58,200 'Well, nearly everything.' 335 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:01,560 This is a wide saddle. 336 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:02,600 Crikey. 337 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:05,640 That was fun, wasn't it? 338 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:07,560 Interesting way to get on a horse! 339 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:10,760 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! 340 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:14,360 'Good start. 341 00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:18,040 'I feel I'm going to need a driving lesson before I get near any cows.' 342 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,520 We drive with one hand, yes, OK, 343 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:25,760 and the movement is not like that, 344 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:29,000 it's just...put the reins in the neck and make this. 345 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,720 Oh, it's on the neck. Yeah. 346 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:31,960 I see. 347 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:34,480 We are ready to go. 348 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:37,360 'From chef to gaucho in five minutes flat.' 349 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,080 It's just so calm and so lovely, 350 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:45,840 erm...but we're off to work, can't talk now. 351 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,960 'Actually I don't think I could stop her if I wanted to.' 352 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:50,840 Stop it, stop. 353 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:03,920 'First we have to move the cattle from the far field 354 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:05,520 'towards the enclosures. 355 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:15,240 'It's a fascinating glimpse into the country's origins. 356 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:17,760 'The first gauchos lived wild lives, 357 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,520 'hunting the escaped cattle that roamed the vast grasslands. 358 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,360 'When rich landowners fenced off the Pampas 359 00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:32,960 'they utilised the gauchos' skills to look after their cows. 360 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:37,320 'Since then, they've come to embody the spirit of Argentina.' 361 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:41,120 This is pretty amazing. 362 00:21:41,120 --> 00:21:43,400 The fact is there are two of the largest bulls 363 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:45,760 I've ever seen in my life amongst that herd. 364 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:49,520 There it is, and we're looking after it. It's unbelievable. 365 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:51,080 I love it! 366 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,880 Good girl. Good girl. 367 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:57,280 Good girl. 368 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,800 'In terms of rearing beef, this couldn't be more different 369 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:03,080 'from the feedlot I saw yesterday. 370 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:06,120 'This is highly skilled, it's labour intensive, 371 00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:08,320 'but it's what I was looking for.' 372 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:12,720 Feedlot, schmeedlot! This is how you make cattle! 373 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,120 'Once these cows are in the enclosure, 374 00:22:17,120 --> 00:22:19,120 'it's no place for a beginner.' 375 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:23,040 So this is the first time the mothers have been separated from the calves? Yeah. 376 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:27,040 So that's why it's so difficult. Yeah, they are screaming too much. 377 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:30,840 Better get out of the way. Be careful. Here come some more. 378 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,160 I mean, watching them work is quite incredible. 379 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:36,400 Actually, also... not exactly un-frightening. 380 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:42,000 To me this looks like something which is...it's like the Wild West. 381 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,280 And we are now stuck in a pen full of cows. 382 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:47,920 Suppose not much I can do, really. 383 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:51,560 This old guy here is Oscar. 384 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:53,600 He's 72. 385 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:55,840 And I've just watched him 386 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:59,400 whisper a horse out amongst a group of cattle. 387 00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:06,880 'So job done, it's time for a tea break. 388 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:10,040 'But unless I'm much mistaken, that's not Earl Grey.' 389 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,920 Shall I drink all of it? Yeah. 390 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:22,680 We drink a lot of mate. It's our culture. 391 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:24,200 If we have a free time. 392 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:27,120 And I give it to you? Yeah, again. 393 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:30,240 'Mate is a caffeine-rich herbal infusion, 394 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:33,280 'part energy drink, part social ritual.' 395 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:36,440 It's very bitter. 396 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:40,880 Actually it tastes to me of fennel and aniseed and tobacco. 397 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:49,600 'If the gauchos personify the traditional way of rearing beef 398 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:53,680 'in Argentina, I'd love to know how they choose to eat it.' 399 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,920 You know, obviously as gauchos you guys are around horses 400 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:58,560 and beef all your life. 401 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:01,480 What sort of beef do you prefer to eat? 402 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:04,840 Do you prefer to eat beef that's been on the grass 403 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,640 or do you like feedlot beef? 404 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:10,960 We prefer the natural beef. 405 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:14,520 You can taste the difference in the mouth. 406 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:18,560 The meat is more... is a little more strong. 407 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:22,200 A little more hard but it tastes more good. 408 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:26,320 So we, the gauchos, prefer natural food. 409 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:30,680 You say that I should be able to tell the difference 410 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:34,040 and prefer to have naturally reared beef. 411 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,520 Do you want to taste from a natural cow? Yes. 412 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:41,000 Yeah, here in this estancia we make natural cows every time. 413 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:44,240 Good. And you'll share your favourite piece? Yeah. 414 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:45,440 OK, good, perfect. 415 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:52,320 'And here is Jorge's favourite piece. It's quite a big one.' 416 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:02,400 So this just seems to be the most basic barbecue in the whole world. 417 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,160 Because we are used to putting steaks on barbecues. 418 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,800 These guys actually have a fire and...that's it. 419 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:12,480 And the warmth of the fire cooks the meat 420 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,880 and at the same time the smoke smokes it. 421 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:19,520 There's not a sausage, there's not a steak and there's not a chop. 422 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:24,560 There's not a hamburger. This is a barbecue Argentinian style. 423 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:28,920 But what I'm... What I need to know is, where's yours? 424 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:33,800 I don't know how you eat, but I want to eat a little piece of this. 425 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:37,080 If you want, it's all yours. 426 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:41,480 'Now, that's a recipe. 427 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:45,840 'Light a fire, stake a side of beef over it and roast for three hours. 428 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:52,600 'Up at the house the head cook, Oscar's wife Rosa, 429 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:54,160 'is busy with the starters.' 430 00:25:57,560 --> 00:25:59,560 Hey, Rosa. Si. 431 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:01,200 What are we making? 432 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:08,200 'Rosa's making empanadas, 433 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,720 'Argentina's favourite little pasties.' 434 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:17,800 The great thing about cooking is that so much of it's visual 435 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,240 that you can learn just by watching somebody. 436 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:22,920 Thankfully, because I have no idea what she's saying. 437 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:27,080 'Once the onions and the red peppers are softened, 438 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:31,160 'Rosa adds the mince, then comes the seasoning.' 439 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,600 Good amount of salt. Pimienta. 440 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,400 Pimienta. Which is pepper. 441 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,280 So salt and white pepper. 442 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:39,360 What's this? 443 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:42,960 Pimenton rojo, dulce. 444 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:45,000 Pimenton rojo. 445 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,520 Paprika. 446 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:50,920 So you're going to put little green onions in and they go in last. 447 00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:58,880 OK. The meat's going to cook and then these will go in afterwards, 448 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:02,120 to be able to give some texture and more flavour, instead of garlic. 449 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:04,360 So, as you continue to chop, I suppose 450 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:07,280 I should make an empanada myself. 451 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:09,400 So you're going to do empanada carne? 452 00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:14,400 'Regardless of the language barrier, Rosa loves a chat.' 453 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:20,320 And me...me, I make empanada verdura. Verdura. 454 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:39,960 'In short, my empanadas will be basically the same as Rosa's, 455 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:43,360 'I'm simply substituting the meat for cheese and spinach.' 456 00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:44,520 Pimienta? 457 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:48,400 'Rosa's filling looks ready.' 458 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,440 If you look at it now it's almost like it's made its own gravy. 459 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:55,160 But it's not fine like mince, it's actually big lumpy bits, look. 460 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:59,160 'So Rosa transfers some of hers into a bowl to cool. 461 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:01,960 'She also seems in a hurry to start my veggie ones. 462 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:08,560 Just calm. I've got to finish. Si. OK? Mix. 463 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,040 Misto. 464 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,880 Just...piano, piano, gaucho. 465 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:16,400 So, in my mix so far I've got some onions and peppers, 466 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:18,160 some spring onions and spinach. 467 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:20,160 Add to that lots and lots of cheese. 468 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:22,760 You like this? Muy bueno. 469 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:24,920 Bueno? Muy bueno. 470 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,680 'Now for the real masterclass, 471 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:31,480 'the challenge of encasing your filling in the pastry disc. 472 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:35,080 'A skill which Rosa makes look like child's play. 473 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:36,520 'As for me...' 474 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,400 First... 475 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:43,120 Ah? Si. Si? Muy bien. 476 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:51,000 Yep. 477 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:52,440 OK. 478 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:53,920 So go... 479 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:57,240 Muy bien. 480 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,040 Ah-ha, I got a "muy bien"! 481 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:02,440 So how many...how many empanadas does the average person eat? 482 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:09,480 Perfecto! 483 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:11,640 Perfecto! Perfecto. 484 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:17,600 Good, so presently, if everybody eats three or four, 485 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,080 we've done enough for one and a half people. 486 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,480 Caliente... 487 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:26,040 We seem to have a deal. The deal is that the vegetable ones 488 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:28,360 are going to be baked - she likes baked ones - and we're 489 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:31,400 going to do fried ones with the meat ones because I like them fried. 490 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:37,280 'Rosa crimps her meat empanadas differently to identify them, 491 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:40,400 'while mine get an egg wash and popped into the oven.' 492 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,640 'And so we have it, Rosa's fried meat empanadas 493 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:56,480 'and my baked veggie ones, ready for the gauchos, 494 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:59,080 'who are outside whiling away the time 495 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:02,200 'the way I'd imagine they always have. 496 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:04,520 'This asado is a pretty different from the one 497 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:07,840 'I had in Buenos Aires but there's one thing that appears 498 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,360 'at every asado, chimichurri, and it's my turn to make it.' 499 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:15,200 And it's pretty simple, not made up of very many ingredients at all. 500 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:17,160 Salt, first, 501 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:21,240 and over the top of that, we're going to put some hot water 502 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:23,080 just to make a bit of brine. 503 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:26,240 Some dried parsley, 504 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:28,400 some dried chilli, 505 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:30,360 some vinegar, 506 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:33,160 a little bit of oil, 507 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:36,400 pepper, 508 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:38,840 leave that to sit for a second 509 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,720 and it starts to come together pretty quickly. 510 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:47,280 So the story goes that this sauce actually comes from English soldiers 511 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:48,760 who came here in the early 1800s 512 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:51,280 and they were saying, "Give me curry, give me curry," 513 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:55,200 they wanted something spicy like they had in the days of the Raj in places like India, 514 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:58,520 and that was translated instead of "give me curry" to "chimichurri", 515 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:00,800 and chimichurri has stuck as the sauce. 516 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:05,040 That's really how simple it all is. 517 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:06,560 I like a bit more freshness 518 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:08,480 so I'm going to add a load of chopped parsley 519 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:10,720 and I think this is going to be perfect with this... 520 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:12,400 that big hunk of meat 521 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:15,200 that's sitting there slowly cooking away with the gauchos. 522 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:17,800 Look at that. 523 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:21,920 Give me curry, chimichurri. 524 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:45,120 Three hours ago, this was a stake of metal and raw meat. 525 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:47,000 Slowly all the fat's rendered away, 526 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:53,000 the meat is slowly coming off the bone, the fire is just licking it, 527 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:56,080 enjoying it, having fun with it, and it's just... 528 00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:59,720 it...this whole thing has become something very, very beautiful. 529 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:04,440 I mean, this has been happening for centuries 530 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:07,840 and we in the UK know nothing about it. 531 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:10,560 I have not seen anything like this before in my life. 532 00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:14,120 I've not felt like this for a very, very long time about food. 533 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:18,440 But that as a piece of meat, in my mind, is really special. 534 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:21,320 'Before I get stuck in to the main event, 535 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:24,480 'there's wine and Rosa's empanadas.' 536 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:27,440 That's good beer. 537 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:34,760 My first taste of Argentinian grass-fed beef, 538 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:37,240 straight off the Pampas, 539 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:39,560 as I've dreamt about for many, many years. 540 00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:41,880 It looks amazing. 541 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:48,320 It tastes like real beef, it's smoky... 542 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:53,320 That's...heart-thumping stuff. 543 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:57,520 'Eating like this is a rare privilege. 544 00:32:57,520 --> 00:32:59,520 'It's so authentic, 545 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:01,520 'and one thing's really clear, 546 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,920 'a gaucho is only as good as his knife.' 547 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:08,160 Little knife, big knife. 548 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:12,760 I want to taste this, it's really... 549 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:14,600 I made that. 550 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:17,800 You made this? Yeah. I'm rubbish at getting on a horse 551 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:20,440 but I'm really good at cooking. 552 00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:21,800 Good. 553 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:30,600 The feedlot beef is creamy, absolutely, 554 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:31,840 yes, it's tender, 555 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:33,400 yes, it's got good flavour, 556 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,320 but this is bold, it's big, 557 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:38,160 and to me it tastes like beef. 558 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:42,880 Wow. 559 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:44,040 What a way to eat. 560 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:46,960 What a way to cook. 561 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:48,560 What a way to live. 562 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:06,960 'Estancia Ombu, what an experience. 563 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:09,440 'What strikes me is that one of the things 564 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:13,960 'that made it special last night was that cut of meat we ate. 565 00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:16,760 'One you simply don't find in the UK. 566 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:19,480 'Again I'm learning about the meat I love, 567 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:23,000 'and to find out more I'm following a gaucho tip-off.' 568 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:27,200 Besides the breed of beef, besides the lifestyle of beef, 569 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:29,640 one of the things I want to know about in Argentina 570 00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:33,040 is their style of butchery, and that's what I'm about to do. 571 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:35,200 This is San Antonio de Areco, 572 00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:37,800 and I'm off to see a butcher. 573 00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:40,600 'The gauchos' favourite butcher is in a corner shop 574 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:43,160 'on the outskirts of San Antonio.' 575 00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:57,840 Here we have Juan Carlos 576 00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:00,520 and his wife, who's running the shop next door, 577 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:02,840 with everything from deep-frying baskets, 578 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:06,960 pots and pans and biscuits, all the way to the butcher. 579 00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:10,880 'Juan Carlos is a butcher of few words. 580 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:14,680 'He lets his tools do all the talking, but as he gets to work 581 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:19,920 'I get to see the cuts of beef found on asados all over Argentina.' 582 00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:25,120 Brilliant. 583 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:28,720 This is exactly what we had on our asado, which was on the cross. 584 00:35:28,720 --> 00:35:30,240 This is all of this. 585 00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:33,240 'This part of the animal's composed of hard-working muscle, 586 00:35:33,240 --> 00:35:35,440 'so it's strong and dense, 587 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:37,960 'but slow-cooked, as it was last night, 588 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:40,480 'still tender and very tasty.' 589 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:43,800 For us in the UK, we might use the ribs, but not very much, 590 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:46,320 most of the meat's stripped back down and it's all minced. 591 00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:49,560 'Far from mincing it, in a country that loves beef on the bone, 592 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:53,280 'this whole side can be turned into a classic Argentine cut. 593 00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:58,840 'Tira de asado, or short-cut ribs. 594 00:36:00,720 --> 00:36:03,280 'What's left on the hook are the parts of the animal 595 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:06,520 'most prized and popular in the UK.' 596 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:10,880 So ribs up this end, then further up you've got your sirloins, 597 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:12,960 your fillet is still inside, attached, 598 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:15,120 so you take your T-bones from around here 599 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:18,360 and then at the back here your... this top bit here 600 00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:20,800 is the rump, your love handles. 601 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:24,800 Everybody thinks rump's your bottom, it's not, it's your love handles. 602 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:29,520 'These steak cuts may be more tender but not necessarily the most tasty.' 603 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:33,000 So now he's taken the fillet off - filet mignon, fillet steak. 604 00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:37,200 Or, if you wrap it in pastry, beef Wellington, mate. 605 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:40,760 So this is the sirloin coming off. 606 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:42,760 Look at that. 607 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:44,560 That's a proper sirloin. 608 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:47,040 There's only a couple of tiny things which are minced 609 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:49,600 and turned into empanadas or whatever, 610 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:52,960 but the rest of them they're using as whole bits of meat 611 00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:55,200 to be eaten on the bone or off the bone 612 00:36:55,200 --> 00:36:58,520 and it's a shame that we in the UK have lost that art. 613 00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:02,720 We want food quick, so we cut our meat up into thin slices 614 00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:04,320 or we make them into steaks 615 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:06,600 or we mince it so it cooks really, really quickly. 616 00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:10,000 We don't take these big muscles any more and slowly roast them, 617 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,520 it's a shame, but it's the modern world. 618 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:16,720 'Here in San Antonio de Areco 619 00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:19,280 'the modern world seems to be kept at bay. 620 00:37:20,800 --> 00:37:23,160 'This is a real gaucho town. 621 00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:30,920 'I'd love to stay longer, but I've got a long road ahead, 622 00:37:30,920 --> 00:37:35,160 'because, now I've seen the cattle of Argentina, the butchery, 623 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:37,120 'and I've cooked gaucho style, 624 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:40,720 'it's time to turn my attention to the professional world, 625 00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:42,200 'and far to the west, 626 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:44,720 'at the foot of the Andes in the province of Mendoza, 627 00:37:44,720 --> 00:37:49,400 'is a restaurant that is said to be a temple to the cooking of beef. 628 00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:52,840 'Driving there is a pilgrimage 629 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:55,360 'which I'm hoping will lead me to the holy grail - 630 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:58,280 'a perfect plate of beef.' 631 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:05,000 So there we are, we've turned onto Route 7, 632 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,040 and my satellite navigation system tells me 633 00:38:08,040 --> 00:38:11,560 I've only got 942 kilometres to go. 634 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:13,080 Route 7 all the way. 635 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:17,960 'Looks like this journey's going to be well in excess of ten hours, 636 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:20,320 'a bit of an endurance test. 637 00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:24,040 'But in terms of navigation, I don't think I'm going to be challenged.' 638 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:27,520 There's nothing on this Route 7 except for a straight road, 639 00:38:27,520 --> 00:38:29,040 it's just a straight road. 640 00:38:30,080 --> 00:38:32,360 I mean, if I look at my rear vision mirror 641 00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:34,440 there's a straight road behind me, 642 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:37,040 I look in front of me there's a straight road in front of me. 643 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:40,480 As far as the eye can see, just a straight road. 644 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:42,400 It's just crazy. 645 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:45,760 This is the craziest road I've ever been on in my whole life. 646 00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:52,800 'Ten hours of straight road. 647 00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:00,640 'And Argentine FM isn't helping. 648 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:09,000 'Pit stop required, see if I can't find myself a decent tune.' 649 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:16,400 I think I need a bit of rock'n'roll for the road tip. 650 00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:18,560 I've got Acca Dacca, AC/DC. 651 00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:22,760 Hells Bells, Shoot To Thrill, What Do You Do For Money Honey, 652 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:26,960 Giving The Dog A Bone, Let Me Put My Love Into You. 653 00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:28,000 Fancy. 654 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:29,800 How do I get the CD out? 655 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:31,880 Oh, I love this sort of stuff, look. 656 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:34,520 Every type of empanada you could want. 657 00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:38,600 You pull into a servo, all I wanted was a wee and cup of coffee. 658 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:39,960 Tortas, tarts. 659 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:43,560 Fernet for tonight. Might as well take that with me, that's good. 660 00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:45,640 These are called alfajores. 661 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:47,760 They're like a sandwich biscuit. 662 00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:49,680 I'm going to walk out with mountains of stuff 663 00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:51,640 cos it's like a treasure trove. Accer Daccer. 664 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:53,200 AC/DC. 665 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:57,280 So I'm going to have to try each one to see which brand I like. 666 00:39:57,280 --> 00:39:58,920 Coffee to take away, 667 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:01,120 and I get given a mate while I'm here. 668 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:04,280 Brilliant. 669 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,040 Got my biscuits, my Accer Daccer... 670 00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:12,360 ..and I'm eating up the miles. 671 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:15,760 As for the road, no change. 672 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:25,080 Ah, this is the straightest road I've ever driven in my whole life. 673 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:26,520 I'm loving it, though. 674 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:36,080 'The scenery hasn't changed much but, 675 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:38,880 'with 500km of Route 7 under my belt, 676 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:41,840 'thankfully lunchtime has come around. 677 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:49,040 'With it, my chance to experience an Argentine institution.' 678 00:40:52,640 --> 00:40:56,200 This is a roadside cafe, a parrilla, 679 00:40:56,200 --> 00:40:58,120 which is like a barbecue area 680 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:01,240 and it's called El Camionero, which is a truck driver. 681 00:41:01,240 --> 00:41:03,920 It's a truck stop in the middle of nowhere. 682 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:14,080 Hola. 683 00:41:14,080 --> 00:41:16,240 Hola. 684 00:41:16,240 --> 00:41:17,960 Now that's what you call a fire. 685 00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:19,000 Hola. 686 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:21,040 Hola. Can I have a look? 687 00:41:21,040 --> 00:41:22,080 Si. 688 00:41:26,360 --> 00:41:28,040 Wow. 689 00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:30,920 I want... I want a fire and I want meat, look. 690 00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:32,760 Meat? 691 00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:35,080 That's meat. 692 00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:37,120 Wow, nice. 693 00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:42,920 This I've never seen before. 694 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:45,200 He's put coals inside so it stays nice and hot, 695 00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:47,080 you've got your own little grill plate 696 00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:49,120 with a mixture of bits and pieces, 697 00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:51,840 and then everybody gets to help themselves. 698 00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:54,240 And look, can you hear that? 699 00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:55,720 So it's grilling. 700 00:41:55,720 --> 00:41:59,240 I mean, this is a truck stop on a highway. 701 00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:01,120 Pull up and this is what you get. 702 00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:03,400 This is a meat lover's paradise. 703 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:07,720 'Beef sausages, fat blood sausages and intestines, 704 00:42:07,720 --> 00:42:10,120 'a mixed grill like no other.' 705 00:42:10,120 --> 00:42:12,000 Ah... 706 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:14,440 So by winching this up.... 707 00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:21,360 That's so clever. 708 00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:23,120 This is called an asado 709 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:26,000 and the man who controls it is an asador, 710 00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:28,560 a proper craftsman. 711 00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:31,200 He understands fire and he understands food. 712 00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:42,280 Because me, I would burn wood and coal in a barbecue 713 00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:44,560 and then I would set the meat on top of it, 714 00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:48,240 but this is what I should be doing, burning the wood separately 715 00:42:48,240 --> 00:42:53,040 in a cage first, then laying it out and then cooking over it. 716 00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:57,520 'So on my personal grill, tira de asado, the short-cut ribs, 717 00:42:57,520 --> 00:43:01,160 'along with another cut I saw at the butcher's, vacio or flank, 718 00:43:01,160 --> 00:43:02,800 'all for under a fiver.' 719 00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:11,440 Ah, that should keep me going for lunch! 720 00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:14,680 You've got to chew it. 721 00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:17,800 It's not a steak, it's not a sirloin, it's not a rump, 722 00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:19,840 it's not a fillet, it's a real piece of meat. 723 00:43:19,840 --> 00:43:21,880 You've got to chew it and it tastes like beef 724 00:43:21,880 --> 00:43:24,640 and it's been cooked beautifully. 725 00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:27,520 'My meat feast hits all the right notes, 726 00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:30,800 'but even my pit stop at El Camionero 727 00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:32,840 'has taught me something new.' 728 00:43:32,840 --> 00:43:35,160 I've watched somebody who understands fire 729 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:36,960 properly cook my lunch. 730 00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:39,760 I've learnt something. I've loved watching it. 731 00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:41,680 This is what I love to do, 732 00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:45,160 and sitting down and eating it, I suppose, is the icing on the cake. 733 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:47,760 Brilliant! This is what I came to Argentina for. 734 00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:56,920 'It's hard to imagine how I'm going to top the flame-fuelled meat 735 00:43:56,920 --> 00:43:58,560 'I've eaten so far, 736 00:43:58,560 --> 00:44:02,880 'but my next destination is legendary amongst beef lovers 737 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:06,120 'and there's not just one fire, but seven. 738 00:44:06,120 --> 00:44:09,560 'To see this, I've got to keep my truck pointed west 739 00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:12,640 'on Route 7, which is still - 740 00:44:12,640 --> 00:44:15,720 'yep, you guessed it - straight.' 741 00:44:15,720 --> 00:44:19,360 There's literally nothing but straight road. 742 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:22,800 Straight again, still a straight road. 743 00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:25,800 Straight behind, straight in front. 744 00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:28,080 I haven't been this straight for years! 745 00:44:34,760 --> 00:44:36,520 Oh, dear. 746 00:44:38,360 --> 00:44:41,640 This will send you completely doolally. 747 00:44:41,640 --> 00:44:43,640 If they're doing a bit of work on this road, 748 00:44:43,640 --> 00:44:45,240 they've got a long way to go! 749 00:44:45,240 --> 00:44:47,520 Ha, ha, ha! 750 00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:49,840 Oh, look, exciting! 751 00:44:49,840 --> 00:44:52,560 One of the electricity posts has changed, 752 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:54,560 it's different from the rest of them! 753 00:44:54,560 --> 00:44:55,960 Ha, ha, ha! 754 00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:02,280 'Route 7 is slowly but surely drawing me towards Mendoza 755 00:45:02,280 --> 00:45:05,280 'to complete my beef-inspired road trip, 756 00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:08,520 'but it's not just food I'm going for.' 757 00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:11,880 'There's a friend there too.' 758 00:45:15,120 --> 00:45:16,160 Si? 759 00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:17,760 G'day, Mata. It's John. 760 00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:19,200 Hi! How are you? 761 00:45:19,200 --> 00:45:20,320 I'm all right. 762 00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:21,800 Tell me you're in Argentina. 763 00:45:21,800 --> 00:45:23,160 I'm in Argentina. 764 00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:25,120 I'm on a big, straight road. 765 00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:27,240 So you're driving to Mendoza? 766 00:45:27,240 --> 00:45:29,240 Yeah, driving to Mendoza now. 767 00:45:29,240 --> 00:45:31,200 My birthday's on Saturday. 768 00:45:31,200 --> 00:45:32,480 Your birthday! 769 00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:34,840 I'm having a big barbecue, a big asado. 770 00:45:34,840 --> 00:45:36,640 It'd be great if you can join us. 771 00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:37,920 This weekend? 772 00:45:37,920 --> 00:45:39,160 Yes! 773 00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:43,440 How exciting! Argentina and your birthday, and an asado, brilliant! 774 00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:44,600 Well, we'll see you then. 775 00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:46,360 Bye, love. 776 00:45:46,360 --> 00:45:48,400 That's pretty cool. 777 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:51,120 So, Mata... Mata's a friend of mine 778 00:45:51,120 --> 00:45:56,040 I met doing food shows in England, and she makes wine so 779 00:45:56,040 --> 00:46:00,160 when you're invited to a barbie, what do you do? You go to a barbie, 780 00:46:00,160 --> 00:46:06,960 but what do you take to somebody who owns a vineyard in Argentina? 781 00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:12,680 'Well, at least I've got, what? 782 00:46:12,680 --> 00:46:16,160 '400km of Route 7 thinking time in front of me.' 783 00:46:16,160 --> 00:46:18,640 Oh, look! Oh-ho, look! 784 00:46:18,640 --> 00:46:21,560 We've got a little bend in the road! 785 00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:23,920 Hold on tight, it's a bend! 786 00:46:23,920 --> 00:46:26,560 Go around! Oh, guess what? 787 00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:29,600 It's straight again. Ha, ha, ha! 788 00:46:29,600 --> 00:46:31,720 'This road drives you crazy all right, 789 00:46:31,720 --> 00:46:33,400 'but through the haze of madness, 790 00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:35,520 'I've started to see something clearly.' 791 00:46:36,840 --> 00:46:40,280 I thought I was a great cook, and I thought I was a great cook 792 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:42,720 at cooking outside, at cooking barbecues. 793 00:46:42,720 --> 00:46:46,400 But what I've realised while I'm here in Argentina is that 794 00:46:46,400 --> 00:46:48,600 I've been doing it wrong all my life. 795 00:46:48,600 --> 00:46:53,600 That actually the fire that cooks the meat has to be made 796 00:46:53,600 --> 00:46:56,200 before it goes anywhere near the barbecue. 797 00:46:56,200 --> 00:46:58,680 That's pretty big to admit, 798 00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:03,480 that actually I've been cooking a barbecue wrongly all my life. 799 00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:06,520 Wow. 800 00:47:08,200 --> 00:47:10,920 'The sun's setting but this drive's not over yet, 801 00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:13,680 'and once again nature calls.' 802 00:47:16,360 --> 00:47:19,200 Like anybody on a road trip I need to wee really bad, 803 00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:21,040 so I stopped here at St Louis. 804 00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:23,000 It's about 6 o'clock in the evening 805 00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:25,400 and he's baking bread for tonight. 806 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:27,480 It's just brilliant! 807 00:47:27,480 --> 00:47:29,280 The oven's obviously home-made, 808 00:47:29,280 --> 00:47:31,120 because the chimney's an old tin can. 809 00:47:35,320 --> 00:47:36,640 I love it! 810 00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:39,880 Like the bread, right? This bread is just on trays, a tin, 811 00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:43,800 there's a bit of metal all curled up, there's just bread. 812 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:47,760 'No dials on this bakers' oven. He's baking by feel.' 813 00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:58,480 This whole country... This country is crazy. I love it. 814 00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:01,360 The main highway from Buenos Aires to Mendoza, it's a thousand 815 00:48:01,360 --> 00:48:04,760 kilometres long, it's straight and you go a bit bonkers on it, and then 816 00:48:04,760 --> 00:48:07,880 you turn up there's a guy baking bread on the side of the road! 817 00:48:07,880 --> 00:48:10,480 I've had lunch in a place that I never knew existed with 818 00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:13,160 truckers and now I'm going to get some bread, look! 819 00:48:13,160 --> 00:48:15,920 There you go, he's even got me some bread. 820 00:48:19,960 --> 00:48:22,400 I mean, it's a great loaf of bread. 821 00:48:22,400 --> 00:48:25,000 I mean, if it hit you, it'd kill you, 822 00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:27,400 but, I mean, it's a big loaf of bread! 823 00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:31,080 Yeah. Shall we take this with us? Cuanto? How much? 824 00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:33,200 No! 825 00:48:34,760 --> 00:48:37,360 I can't... I've got to do this, because I have to, my friend. 826 00:48:37,360 --> 00:48:39,240 I've got to do a selfie. 827 00:48:39,240 --> 00:48:42,840 Because you are rocking and rolling unbelievably amazing. 828 00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:46,680 Right, come on, you, smile. 829 00:48:46,680 --> 00:48:47,800 Let's see. 830 00:48:50,480 --> 00:48:51,840 Bye, Mr Bread Man. 831 00:48:53,240 --> 00:48:55,240 That guy was great. 832 00:48:55,240 --> 00:48:58,640 Genuine, real, extraordinary and in a place like this, and look at this! 833 00:48:58,640 --> 00:49:02,520 Look at that. Completely different landscape altogether. 834 00:49:04,080 --> 00:49:07,000 Argentina just continues to surprise me. 835 00:49:08,040 --> 00:49:12,720 'Route 7 actually continues all the way to the border of Chile. 836 00:49:12,720 --> 00:49:15,240 'I'm not going that far. No way. 837 00:49:15,240 --> 00:49:18,040 'Tomorrow brings me to my journey's end. 838 00:49:24,480 --> 00:49:28,040 'A new day finds me back at the wheel, 839 00:49:28,040 --> 00:49:30,760 'but now I've got mountains for company. 840 00:49:33,520 --> 00:49:36,000 'This is Mendoza. 841 00:49:36,000 --> 00:49:38,320 'The mountains are the Andes.' 842 00:49:40,840 --> 00:49:43,080 'And I'm slowly approaching 843 00:49:43,080 --> 00:49:46,360 'the place I've driven across Argentina to find - 844 00:49:46,360 --> 00:49:49,800 'Siete Fuegos, the Seven Fires, 845 00:49:49,800 --> 00:49:52,480 'a veritable temple of beef.' 846 00:49:55,800 --> 00:49:59,040 I, erm, I think I may have landed in paradise. 847 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:05,000 There's kitchens in the world and then there's kitchens like that. 848 00:50:05,000 --> 00:50:08,840 'In its short life, Siete Fuegos has become an essential destination 849 00:50:08,840 --> 00:50:10,600 'for the foodie jet set, 850 00:50:10,600 --> 00:50:15,480 'a place to experience the ultimate flame-fuelled beef.' 851 00:50:15,480 --> 00:50:17,000 I want to learn about fire, 852 00:50:17,000 --> 00:50:19,240 I want to know about beef, 853 00:50:19,240 --> 00:50:22,600 and this place is as posh as you get in Argentina, 854 00:50:22,600 --> 00:50:26,440 where fire and beef are king. 855 00:50:26,440 --> 00:50:27,800 'In between services, 856 00:50:27,800 --> 00:50:31,840 'head chef Diego Irrera has agreed to reveal its secrets.' 857 00:50:31,840 --> 00:50:33,200 Hi. Hola. 858 00:50:33,200 --> 00:50:36,000 So this is one fire, you have seven. 859 00:50:36,000 --> 00:50:37,880 Seven fires, yeah. Seven fires. 860 00:50:41,200 --> 00:50:43,000 This one. OK... 861 00:50:44,640 --> 00:50:46,080 This one. OK, Infernillo. 862 00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:49,520 This is called the Inferno, Little Hell. 863 00:50:49,520 --> 00:50:53,240 And you put stuff in between that plate and it's ferociously hot. 864 00:50:54,800 --> 00:50:56,960 'Fire number five is a pit in the ground, 865 00:50:56,960 --> 00:51:00,680 'giving vegetables deep earthy and smoky flavours. 866 00:51:00,680 --> 00:51:06,480 'Above it, fire six has a cauldron over it for stews and the like.' 867 00:51:06,480 --> 00:51:09,800 And this, now number seven. Brilliant. 868 00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:11,600 So the deal is, this is really, 869 00:51:11,600 --> 00:51:15,320 very, very similar to what we saw with the gauchos. 870 00:51:15,320 --> 00:51:17,120 This pit can hold a lot of animals. 871 00:51:17,120 --> 00:51:20,280 These balls that look like something you hang from a Christmas tree, 872 00:51:20,280 --> 00:51:21,720 they put chickens in. 873 00:51:21,720 --> 00:51:23,800 I want one of these in my back garden. 874 00:51:25,280 --> 00:51:27,720 'And so to my final lesson in beef. 875 00:51:27,720 --> 00:51:30,000 'Diego has opted for what looks like something 876 00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:32,640 'Fred Flintstone might chew on. 877 00:51:32,640 --> 00:51:35,680 'But it's actually three rib cuts in one.' 878 00:51:35,680 --> 00:51:37,560 This here is the eye of the meat. 879 00:51:40,360 --> 00:51:43,800 So this here is the bit that we used with the gauchos, 880 00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:47,320 then the bones of course are the bits that we ate with 881 00:51:47,320 --> 00:51:49,600 the guys in the truck stop which had been chopped up. 882 00:51:49,600 --> 00:51:52,720 So what we've got now is this massive steak. 883 00:51:52,720 --> 00:51:56,720 I've seen one of these before, and we call it a Tomahawk, 884 00:51:56,720 --> 00:51:59,120 but I've never seen them cooked over fire. 885 00:52:00,240 --> 00:52:04,120 'First a good rub of salt, then to the coals.' 886 00:52:04,120 --> 00:52:07,640 But you know what is amazing is that this is exactly the same process 887 00:52:07,640 --> 00:52:10,480 as the truck stop, exactly the same, so it's a posh restaurant 888 00:52:10,480 --> 00:52:12,880 but they're using exactly the same equipment, 889 00:52:12,880 --> 00:52:14,800 and posher bits of meat, absolutely. 890 00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:16,640 That steak will cost a lot of money. 891 00:52:16,640 --> 00:52:19,640 International clientele, that's what I've just worked out, 892 00:52:19,640 --> 00:52:22,080 this place is about international clientele, isn't it? 893 00:52:22,080 --> 00:52:24,720 It's about international people. Look at the environment. 894 00:52:24,720 --> 00:52:27,240 These people are used to eating steaks. 895 00:52:27,240 --> 00:52:30,160 'The expectation of the customers may be different 896 00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:33,800 'from yesterday's parilla or the gauchos' asado, 897 00:52:33,800 --> 00:52:36,680 'but the basic elements remain the same. 898 00:52:39,760 --> 00:52:42,520 'This place just throws in some cool architecture 899 00:52:42,520 --> 00:52:45,280 'and a dash of rock and roll.' 900 00:52:45,280 --> 00:52:47,760 Whole tomatoes on coals. That's cool! 901 00:52:50,600 --> 00:52:52,880 Looks to me like we've got sort of pizza 902 00:52:52,880 --> 00:52:54,920 and we're going to cook it on the coals. 903 00:52:54,920 --> 00:52:58,600 I mean, look at this, this is just, it's not even just on the coals, 904 00:52:58,600 --> 00:53:01,280 he's then putting coals on top as well. 905 00:53:01,280 --> 00:53:03,480 'And I've just realised this is 906 00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:06,680 'the closest I've come to a vegetable in a week!' 907 00:53:06,680 --> 00:53:12,560 Argentina is about simplicity, but beauty with it, 908 00:53:12,560 --> 00:53:14,760 and this is it. A revelation! 909 00:53:14,760 --> 00:53:16,040 Chimichurri. 910 00:53:16,040 --> 00:53:18,280 Chimichurri, chimichurri! 911 00:53:18,280 --> 00:53:21,360 'Another old friend - chimichurri!' 912 00:53:21,360 --> 00:53:22,520 Chop-chop or crush? 913 00:53:23,600 --> 00:53:25,640 'As Diego's customers would expect, 914 00:53:25,640 --> 00:53:30,640 'his sauce uses the freshest ingredients Mendoza can provide. 915 00:53:30,640 --> 00:53:32,800 Oregano? Oregano. Si. 916 00:53:32,800 --> 00:53:35,080 'It's the gourmet version of the stuff 917 00:53:35,080 --> 00:53:37,160 'I had on the street in Buenos Aires.' 918 00:53:40,480 --> 00:53:41,600 Beautiful! 919 00:53:41,600 --> 00:53:44,440 'The time has come to see what I can really learn 920 00:53:44,440 --> 00:53:46,680 'from my Argentinian modern master. 921 00:53:49,560 --> 00:53:52,400 'And what I've got is a feast. 922 00:53:52,400 --> 00:53:54,880 'Things I'm familiar with prepared in ways 923 00:53:54,880 --> 00:53:57,160 'I've never experienced before. 924 00:53:57,160 --> 00:54:02,240 'A flatbread and tomatoes cooked directly on smouldering coals. 925 00:54:02,240 --> 00:54:05,320 'And the centrepiece, grass-fed rib eye steak, 926 00:54:05,320 --> 00:54:09,120 'not tossed quickly in a pan but roasted for an hour, 927 00:54:09,120 --> 00:54:13,680 'on the bone and over those same amazing coals.' 928 00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,640 Thank you very much. A fantastic lesson. OK, enjoy. 929 00:54:16,640 --> 00:54:19,600 Thank you very much indeed. I'm sorry you have to work. 930 00:54:19,600 --> 00:54:20,960 What a bloke. 931 00:54:20,960 --> 00:54:23,960 Very annoying, great cook, really good looking, 932 00:54:23,960 --> 00:54:25,360 and looks like a rock star. 933 00:54:25,360 --> 00:54:28,400 I mean, really? All in one? 934 00:54:28,400 --> 00:54:31,600 'The question is how good is it? 935 00:54:31,600 --> 00:54:34,640 'Time for my shot at the ultimate beef experience.' 936 00:54:35,680 --> 00:54:37,040 The steak is tender. 937 00:54:37,040 --> 00:54:40,720 It tastes of grass, it tastes of fire, it tastes of smoke. 938 00:54:40,720 --> 00:54:42,720 It's just... 939 00:54:42,720 --> 00:54:44,600 delicious. 940 00:54:44,600 --> 00:54:47,520 I've come to this place to learn about the best steak cooked 941 00:54:47,520 --> 00:54:51,360 in the best possible way over the best fire and that's what I've got. 942 00:54:52,800 --> 00:54:54,520 It's about as good as it gets. 943 00:54:57,400 --> 00:54:58,520 Si. 944 00:55:02,080 --> 00:55:04,880 'My beef journey has come to an end. 945 00:55:06,560 --> 00:55:08,440 'But my trip's not quite over yet.' 946 00:55:16,720 --> 00:55:20,360 'Yesterday, everything I've learnt in Argentina came together. 947 00:55:23,320 --> 00:55:26,440 'As for today, all I've got to do is to hang out with a friend 948 00:55:26,440 --> 00:55:28,600 'at her birthday barbecue. 949 00:55:28,600 --> 00:55:31,280 'And after much contemplation about her present, 950 00:55:31,280 --> 00:55:33,960 'I've decided to get something at the last minute.' 951 00:55:33,960 --> 00:55:35,920 Let's go. 952 00:55:35,920 --> 00:55:38,960 'And so here I am. My last stop. 953 00:55:38,960 --> 00:55:41,000 'And there's the birthday girl.' 954 00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:42,960 Ah, happy birthday! 955 00:55:42,960 --> 00:55:45,400 You're here! How are you? 956 00:55:45,400 --> 00:55:49,760 How you doing? Lovely to see you. It's good to see you! 957 00:55:49,760 --> 00:55:51,880 So, look, I know I shouldn't bring wine for you, 958 00:55:51,880 --> 00:55:54,360 but, look, this wine I found on the side of the road. 959 00:55:54,360 --> 00:55:57,240 Is it, oh, so it's not Australian? No, no, it's not Australian. 960 00:55:57,240 --> 00:55:58,480 It's church wine. 961 00:55:58,480 --> 00:56:00,120 Church wine? Yes. 962 00:56:00,120 --> 00:56:01,800 Oh, is that good? It's church wine. 963 00:56:01,800 --> 00:56:05,160 'Slight faux pas but I'm still allowed to do some serving up.' 964 00:56:06,520 --> 00:56:08,360 How cool is this? 965 00:56:08,360 --> 00:56:11,520 Mata's birthday, sun's shining, meat on the grill. 966 00:56:11,520 --> 00:56:13,080 To you. Happy birthday! 967 00:56:13,080 --> 00:56:15,120 I'm so pleased you're here for my birthday. 968 00:56:15,120 --> 00:56:17,760 I'm so pleased to be here. Chin-chin. 969 00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:21,320 You brought me a bottle of wine for my birthday... Yes. 970 00:56:21,320 --> 00:56:22,600 I got you something. 971 00:56:22,600 --> 00:56:26,880 Oh, that's, oh, oh! It's the gaucho knife. 972 00:56:26,880 --> 00:56:30,680 Oh, oh, thank you! 973 00:56:32,600 --> 00:56:36,440 It's not ready because it's blunt, as you can see. Right. 974 00:56:36,440 --> 00:56:41,440 You now as a gaucho, that knows how to make an asado, 975 00:56:41,440 --> 00:56:44,720 you will have to sharpen it the way you like it. 976 00:56:44,720 --> 00:56:46,800 You know, I'm shaking, I honestly... 977 00:56:46,800 --> 00:56:48,560 Thank you so much, I feel... 978 00:56:48,560 --> 00:56:51,160 I mean this, I feel really honoured, 979 00:56:51,160 --> 00:56:54,240 I do, cos this country is like... 980 00:56:54,240 --> 00:56:56,200 It's just been such an enlightening place. 981 00:56:56,200 --> 00:57:00,040 You guys are so... No, seriously, you are so lovely, 982 00:57:00,040 --> 00:57:04,880 and to come and see you and to finish my journey here with you 983 00:57:04,880 --> 00:57:06,480 and get this to go away with... 984 00:57:06,480 --> 00:57:09,000 Well, it's a simple present. Thank you so much. 985 00:57:09,000 --> 00:57:12,160 Happy... Happy bloody birthday! 986 00:57:12,160 --> 00:57:13,320 That's more like it. 987 00:57:20,280 --> 00:57:24,360 Argentina has been a surprise at every turn. 988 00:57:26,600 --> 00:57:29,120 That is an armadillo. 989 00:57:29,120 --> 00:57:30,640 Whoa, whoa, whoa. 990 00:57:33,560 --> 00:57:39,040 And me and my mate, my truck, have done about 1,200 kilometres, 991 00:57:39,040 --> 00:57:41,840 and just loved every single minute of Argentina. 992 00:57:45,360 --> 00:57:48,360 I got grease on my hands, smoke all through my clothes, 993 00:57:48,360 --> 00:57:50,200 but I don't care. 994 00:57:50,200 --> 00:57:53,000 What you should do is let the world unravel round the outside of you 995 00:57:53,000 --> 00:57:55,440 and I am who I am, I do what I do. 996 00:57:55,440 --> 00:57:59,080 You know, John Torode is a bloke who cooks and is lucky enough 997 00:57:59,080 --> 00:58:01,080 to have driven across Argentina. 998 00:58:01,080 --> 00:58:03,120 I say, Argentina, I love you. 999 00:58:05,000 --> 00:58:08,760 Next time, in France, top chef Monica Galetti 1000 00:58:08,760 --> 00:58:12,760 searches for the origins of our favourite French produce. 1001 00:58:12,760 --> 00:58:15,400 This is like a candy store. 1002 00:58:15,400 --> 00:58:18,560 From the romance to the reality... 1003 00:58:18,560 --> 00:58:19,880 It's running for its life. 1004 00:58:19,880 --> 00:58:22,800 ..she'll discover a world she'll never forget. 1005 00:58:22,800 --> 00:58:24,400 I could do a bit more of this.