Both the Santa Maria and the Argentine are wood- or charcoal-fired grills built around the same core idea: live-fire cooking with an adjustable, crank-raised grate that lets you control heat by moving food closer to or farther from the coals. Both are built from 3/16" heavy-gauge steel with a fire brick lining and V-channel cooking grates. The difference comes down to one feature — the brasero — and how you prefer to manage your fire.
The Santa Maria: direct and straightforward
The Santa Maria builds its fire directly under the grates. You light your coals and cook over the bed you have built. It is the more traditional approach — simple, proven, and ideal for cooks who like to work directly with their fire. You raise and lower the grate with the flywheel crank to dial in your heat. 
|
The Argentine: ember generation with a brasero
The Argentine adds a brasero — a separate firebox used to generate embers. As your fire burns down in the brasero, you rake fresh embers under the grates to feed the cooking area. This gives you a continuous supply of cooking coals without disturbing the food already on the grill, which is especially useful for long cooks and larger gatherings where you need to keep heat going for hours.
|
A few finishing differences
-
Color: the Santa Maria comes in charcoal; the Argentine comes in black.
-
Side shelves: included on cart-model Santa Maria grills; not included on the Argentine.
-
Fire management: both use direct-fire for cooking; the Argentine lets you stage embers separately in the brasero.
Which should you choose?
If you want a classic and simpler setup, the Santa Maria is an excellent choice. If you value a steady, replenishable ember supply for long cooks and a more active fire-management style, the Argentine is worth the step up. Neither is better — they are two approaches to the same craft. The right one is the one that matches how you like to cook.
Still deciding between a rear and side brasero on the Argentine? We cover that in a separate post. And if you have questions about sizing or configuration for your space, reach out to sales@sunterraoutdoor.com — we are happy to help.