Those of us drawn to hardwood grilling understand that it can be grueling at times.  Starting a fire, tending the coals, standing over the smoke coming off the grill, and cooking meat for hours on end is no easy feat.  It’s no wonder, then, that we usually exude a certain odoriferous scent at the end of the day.  That scent is “man-squite”.

Man-squite is a term that was coined by Mrs. Gaucho that refers to the unmistakable mixture of sweat, smoke, meat, musk, and manliness which emanate from our pores after a long day of hardwood grilling.  I am here to tell you to embrace your man-squite.  It is, after all, the hallmark of an authentic asador.  Ask any asador in South America and he will tell you that he takes pride in smelling like a sweaty charcoal pit if it means people loved the meat that was served to them.

Man-squite is the physical proof that we care deeply about the rituals and traditions of the hardwood grilling experience.  It demonstrates our patience, our attention to detail, and our unhealthy tolerance for high levels of heat and smoke.  If we wanted a quick-and-easy grilling experience, we could press a button on our gas barbecue, close a lid on it, and serve up an end product like every other person out there.  But man-squite proves we want something different and that we’re willing to smell a little bit funky to get there.