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Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling
Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral, the James Beard Award–nominated authors of Oaxaca, are back with the first major cookbook about how to create asada—Mexican-style grilled meat—at home.
In millions of backyards across Southern California, an asada means a gathering of family, friends, great music, cold drinks, good times, and community—all centered around the primal allure of juicy, smoky grilled meat with flavors and spices traditional to Mexico. The smell of asada is a cloud of joy that lingers in the streets of Los Angeles.
With The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling, Mexican food authorities Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral offer more than 100 recipes that show you how to prepare the right dishes and drinks for your next carne asada gathering. Asada will both guide you in crafting mouthwatering food and also inspire the right laidback atmosphere.
Everyone says they love a spicy margarita and asada tacos, but very few understand the culture that informs these flavors. Divided into the eight crucial elements of any carne botanas (appetizers), carnes (meats), mariscos (seafood), side dishes and vegetables, salsas, aguas frescas, cocktails, and dessert, Asada walks you through every step. From Lopez’s secret “michelada marinade” to game-changing salsas that will elevate any grilled meat, this cookbook is the ultimate guide to making and beginning to understand the magic of asada.
Includes Color Photographs
In millions of backyards across Southern California, an asada means a gathering of family, friends, great music, cold drinks, good times, and community—all centered around the primal allure of juicy, smoky grilled meat with flavors and spices traditional to Mexico. The smell of asada is a cloud of joy that lingers in the streets of Los Angeles.
With The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling, Mexican food authorities Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral offer more than 100 recipes that show you how to prepare the right dishes and drinks for your next carne asada gathering. Asada will both guide you in crafting mouthwatering food and also inspire the right laidback atmosphere.
Everyone says they love a spicy margarita and asada tacos, but very few understand the culture that informs these flavors. Divided into the eight crucial elements of any carne botanas (appetizers), carnes (meats), mariscos (seafood), side dishes and vegetables, salsas, aguas frescas, cocktails, and dessert, Asada walks you through every step. From Lopez’s secret “michelada marinade” to game-changing salsas that will elevate any grilled meat, this cookbook is the ultimate guide to making and beginning to understand the magic of asada.
Includes Color Photographs
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 25, 2023
91 people are currently reading
328 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 17, 2023
This book is so gorgeous. The photos, the food, the cover. The recipes all look delish and Bricia found a lot of variety to share. I put at least 30 flags in my book to make in the future. I can't wait.
July 10, 2023
This is a keeper. I've already made multiple recipes and all of them were awesome.
May 3, 2024
One of the more exciting, beautiful, and delicious cookbooks I've read. Cannot recommend more for anyone who likes to grill.
July 13, 2024
Follow me on IG to see the yummy meals I have planned after reading this 😋
December 2, 2025
A couple recipes here, especially Pollo en Guajillo are so easy and delicious, they've become go to favorites.
July 23, 2025
This is an excellent addition to both my Mexican food collection, and my barbeque collection.
(In the 6th year of the ongoing pandemic, with no end in sight, I'm very glad I now have options to entertain safely by cooking outside, and would definitely recommend learning!)
The book is split into several sections - starters, meat, fish, sides, salsas, drinks - soft as well as alcoholic - and a small section on sweets.
There's also a section on the culture - both Mexican and US diaspora, plus ingredients (different types of chillies, chicharron, cheeses, vegetables, and the various cuts of meat), and an introductory section on how to use different types of barbeque (charcoal, gas, pellet etc).
Of the various sections, I've spent most time in the meat section, and have cooked the various carne asadas, the costillitas, salsa borracha ribs, all the chicken dishes, and the cecina Oaxaquena. I've tried a couple of the whole fish recipes, plus the prawns, from the seafood section - all of them have been delicious.
From the sides, there's a lot that I'm already comfortable with, but if you haven't seen them before are very much worth it - frijoles de la olla, frijoles refritos, esquites, elotes - and there's a fantastic "frijoles charros" recipe (cowboy beans), and again, if you don't have other Mexican books, then the three rice recipes - green, white and red - are great. The baked sweet potato recipe, rescoldo style, is to die for.
One of the things I would advise, especially if you're either new to this, or running on low spoons, is to have a look at the marinades - many of them are *extremely* similar, in terms of the chillies, herbs and spices used. The quantities may differ, but only *very* slightly, and not enough to worry about for a home cook.
With a little thought, a pen and paper or a spreadsheet, you can easily make a bottle of guajillo sauce suitable for both the pollo en guajillo and the Cecina Oaxaquena; or an achiote marinade for pibil-style pork chops and for sea bass. I've personally found this very useful for being able to cook up various dishes with limited energy.
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There is an element of "the ingredients are hard to find where I live" which I've seen in some other reviews.
I think this one where...well, yeah, and? This is a book written by people using ingredients available in Oaxaca; I too can't get hold of poblano peppers or fresh nopales. Most ingredients have easily available subs, and if they don't...just make the other 80% that you can, maybe?
(In the 6th year of the ongoing pandemic, with no end in sight, I'm very glad I now have options to entertain safely by cooking outside, and would definitely recommend learning!)
The book is split into several sections - starters, meat, fish, sides, salsas, drinks - soft as well as alcoholic - and a small section on sweets.
There's also a section on the culture - both Mexican and US diaspora, plus ingredients (different types of chillies, chicharron, cheeses, vegetables, and the various cuts of meat), and an introductory section on how to use different types of barbeque (charcoal, gas, pellet etc).
Of the various sections, I've spent most time in the meat section, and have cooked the various carne asadas, the costillitas, salsa borracha ribs, all the chicken dishes, and the cecina Oaxaquena. I've tried a couple of the whole fish recipes, plus the prawns, from the seafood section - all of them have been delicious.
From the sides, there's a lot that I'm already comfortable with, but if you haven't seen them before are very much worth it - frijoles de la olla, frijoles refritos, esquites, elotes - and there's a fantastic "frijoles charros" recipe (cowboy beans), and again, if you don't have other Mexican books, then the three rice recipes - green, white and red - are great. The baked sweet potato recipe, rescoldo style, is to die for.
One of the things I would advise, especially if you're either new to this, or running on low spoons, is to have a look at the marinades - many of them are *extremely* similar, in terms of the chillies, herbs and spices used. The quantities may differ, but only *very* slightly, and not enough to worry about for a home cook.
With a little thought, a pen and paper or a spreadsheet, you can easily make a bottle of guajillo sauce suitable for both the pollo en guajillo and the Cecina Oaxaquena; or an achiote marinade for pibil-style pork chops and for sea bass. I've personally found this very useful for being able to cook up various dishes with limited energy.
----------
There is an element of "the ingredients are hard to find where I live" which I've seen in some other reviews.
I think this one where...well, yeah, and? This is a book written by people using ingredients available in Oaxaca; I too can't get hold of poblano peppers or fresh nopales. Most ingredients have easily available subs, and if they don't...just make the other 80% that you can, maybe?
November 16, 2023
Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral lay out the facts, “Carne asada is not just a taco . . . in millions of backyards across Southern California, asada means family, friends, memories, great music, cold drinks, good times, and the community you’ve built.”--in all its multivarious forms.
This is a cookbook that is a feast for all your senses, from the book’s cover (original font), end papers (day-glo lime green); illustrations that are single or double-spread color photographs of Los Angeles, and of ingredients and finished dishes; and informative and personal anecdotes that precede each recipe.
The book’s chapters are grouped as: starters, meats, seafood, sides, salsas, beverages (non-alcoholic), for the cooler (alcoholic), desserts (A small selection because carne asadas are not about sweets, but a little something sweet is a great way to end a great meal.) And some introductory sections about the basics: The Asada Pantry; Tortillas: Corn or Flour?; A Guide to Mexican Dairy; A guide to all the Chicharrón; The Asada Cuts; Choosing Your Grilling Style and the Reasons Why Your Tío cleans the Grill with an Onion; carbón (Charcoal); Gas; Electric and Pellet Grills.
An asada is an unregimented affair, nothing too formal about arrival time or time to go home, or anything else–except the food which is highlighted by Mexican-style grilling. “The responsibility of being an asada grill master for the day comes with great privilege, and a cold beer to get you through it. Fortunately for everyone, backyard style carne asada is extremely forgiving.” That being said, an asada can begin indoors, in the kitchen, then end up outdoors. Bricia Lopez is encouraging in getting anyone started on having an asada as she reminds us, "Throwing a carne asada is an act of love." And, if only we could respond to her when she says, “Yes, you are invited to the asada.”
Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction
This is a cookbook that is a feast for all your senses, from the book’s cover (original font), end papers (day-glo lime green); illustrations that are single or double-spread color photographs of Los Angeles, and of ingredients and finished dishes; and informative and personal anecdotes that precede each recipe.
The book’s chapters are grouped as: starters, meats, seafood, sides, salsas, beverages (non-alcoholic), for the cooler (alcoholic), desserts (A small selection because carne asadas are not about sweets, but a little something sweet is a great way to end a great meal.) And some introductory sections about the basics: The Asada Pantry; Tortillas: Corn or Flour?; A Guide to Mexican Dairy; A guide to all the Chicharrón; The Asada Cuts; Choosing Your Grilling Style and the Reasons Why Your Tío cleans the Grill with an Onion; carbón (Charcoal); Gas; Electric and Pellet Grills.
An asada is an unregimented affair, nothing too formal about arrival time or time to go home, or anything else–except the food which is highlighted by Mexican-style grilling. “The responsibility of being an asada grill master for the day comes with great privilege, and a cold beer to get you through it. Fortunately for everyone, backyard style carne asada is extremely forgiving.” That being said, an asada can begin indoors, in the kitchen, then end up outdoors. Bricia Lopez is encouraging in getting anyone started on having an asada as she reminds us, "Throwing a carne asada is an act of love." And, if only we could respond to her when she says, “Yes, you are invited to the asada.”
Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction
July 18, 2023
This is a cookbook selection for my cookbook group, and it has been quite a while since I have cooked out of a cookbook that was this popular in my household. The authors are from Oaxaca and their first cookbook covers that regional Mexican food. This is largely about grilled food, and it is exceptional. The marinades are the true highlights, where the protein is marinated in a flavorful sauce, and usually for a pretty short period of time, so that if you made it ahead of time, it was an easy midweek meal. The three version of rice: white, red, and green--the colors of the flag of Mexico--and they are all stellar. The salsas are on the hot side, but the hotter chilies could be subbed for less hot chilies and the six we have tried are all very flavor. They use avocado oil in their flour tortillas based on the ones made by Carmelo's in Lawrence, KS, which are the best commercial flour tortillas I have had. I recommend this highly, and even if you have a robust Mexican food section in your cookbook collection, this one should have a place on your shelf.
Want to read
August 10, 2023Recommended by "Make Me Smart" senior producer Marissa Cabrera: "As someone who grew up going to carne asada gatherings on the weekends, I’m a big fan of “Asada” from LA-restaurateur Bricia Lopez and LA Taco editor Javier Cabral. Together they’ll make you smart on all things carne asada because it’s so much more than the steak in your taco!" (August 2023)
December 9, 2023
I picked this up in the wrong season (winter) but will be returning to it during summer grilling months! Wow! It's a good thing they used high quality paper because the drooling would wreck a cheaper book...
November 3, 2023
This is a cookbook with beautiful photos. All the food looks delicious. With these recipes, you are bound to find some New Mexican recipes. Additionally, there are a variety of salsa recipes.
June 9, 2024
First recipe I made: Carne Asada tacos. The absolute best carne asada I have ever had. With fresh homemade tortillas... life is gooood and this cookbook is a keeper!!! I can't wait to make more!
August 10, 2024
Even more than the previous book, this one is my jam!!!! Grilling and cooking for a crowd is one of my favorite things to do, and this book is perfect in covering just how to throw a proper carne asada party.
December 25, 2024
Such a beautiful book! Loved the history, stories and of course the recipes! The photos are also beautiful!!
April 3, 2025
Beautiful book with a great array of meats and salsas!
June 26, 2023
I’m throwing an asada, and you all are invited. Bring the roommates. Call the cousins. And give a big thank you to Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral for making it happen.
I often give the most praise to cookbooks for being “accessible”. To me, that means the individual recipes are well laid out in design with organized ingredients and easily readable steps, and - as “ASADA” does so well - give suggestions for what other recipes to serve to complete the meal. The book’s different chapters provide wonderful options to craft an enjoyable gathering of friends and family of any size from the starters to mains to drinks and more. I’ve already put many of the quick salsa recipes in play for my family, and eagerly look forward to a summer of firing up the grill with my nearest and dearest.
This cookbook really excites me. I encourage all to check it out. It’s the book of summer for me.
I often give the most praise to cookbooks for being “accessible”. To me, that means the individual recipes are well laid out in design with organized ingredients and easily readable steps, and - as “ASADA” does so well - give suggestions for what other recipes to serve to complete the meal. The book’s different chapters provide wonderful options to craft an enjoyable gathering of friends and family of any size from the starters to mains to drinks and more. I’ve already put many of the quick salsa recipes in play for my family, and eagerly look forward to a summer of firing up the grill with my nearest and dearest.
This cookbook really excites me. I encourage all to check it out. It’s the book of summer for me.
August 1, 2025
Beautiful cookbook with delicious, approachable recipes. Definitely a keeper! But, be warned, some of the recipes are spicy!!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews