A small city in Uruguay has hosted the world’s largest known asado, winning bragging rights over a rival barbecue hotspot in Argentina.
Minas — about 65 miles northeast of Uruguay’s capital Montevideo — put almost 200 cooks to work to break the Guinness world record. Together they grilled 16.5 tonnes of raw meat for a total of 14 hours, the BBC reports.
But to steal the crown Minas still has to best the 9.16 tonne-cooked meat weight record set by the Argentine town of La Pampa in 2008. It did, by more than a tonne: Minas’s meat weighed in at a whopping 10.36 tonnes after the grilling.
“All this is not about the Guinness record, it’s about beating the Argentines,” one of the cook’s told Agence France-Presse.
Read more: This Is How It Feels to Eat 13-Year-Old Steak
Uruguay and Argentina have long had beef over who produces the best meat. Although both countries consider the gaucho, or horseman, a national symbol, Uruguay has around three times as many cows as it does people.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- The Revolution of Yulia Navalnaya
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- Stop Looking for Your Forever Home
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Joseph Hincks at joseph.hincks@time.com