As a travelor in South America I loved the unique taste of what appeared to be just plain chicken and steak grilled over charcoal. However, both had a unique taste that I've never been able to duplicate. I suspect the steaks (thick cuts vice flank) were marinated in lime juice and possibly garlic. The chicken I have no clue. Anyone know how they did it? Bolivia was very unique and the meats tasted pretty much the same where ever ordered.
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- Not sure what variant of chicken you had. My wife is from Colombia and she makes chicken in so many different ways it will make your eyes spin. My mid section will gladly attest to it.
- With that said here locally there is this Peruvian Charcoal Chicken place. The chicken served there is some of the best I have eaten anywhere. They do it on a huge commercial rotis.
- The owners were very open with my wife all the while speaking Spanish concerning the spices and said it was easy to make. This place serves the chicken with rice and Salsa Criolla (this stuff is awesome).
- The spices/marinade we intially bought we found on the internet (Amazon Prime) and purchased thru Inca Food. They included
- Aderzo/Marinade
- Panca Pepper Paste
- Rocoto Hot Pepper Paste
- Yellow Hot Pepper Paste
- Black Mint***
- The last 4 on the list was a 4 pack. Bought because of the Black Mint which the owner of the restaurant kept emphasising to my wife you needed.
- The first item on the list is kind of like "Prego" its in their. I think you could get by with just that marinade and the black mint.
- My wife now makes her own rendition of the Aderzo marinade and has used her own spices in addition.
We have cooked this on a kettle with a rotis and a gasser with a rotis. Additionally we have cooked individual parts on a Holland Grill (gas) which is not like a traditional gas grill with great success read great looking bite thru skin.
- Highly recommend serving with Salsa Criolla love that stuff.-
I have the Aderzo and the Black Mint. Could you give me some idea of how much Black Mint you add to the Aderzo marinade? I also have a bottle of Aji Panca but not sure I need that or not? Would like to give this a try. -
ddevine Raichleins BBQ Bible had a recipe. My wife said 2 teaspoons for a whole chicken. Go to youtube sesrch Peruvian Charcoal Chicken. Select the video (on my phone its the 1st one) by Raleigh Smokes. He uses Raichlens recipe. I will have my wife translate her Spanish notes this weekend and get the info to you. If you make it make the Salsa Criolla and the green sauce also you won't regret it.
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@Antonin
This won't answer your South American itch but these 3 guys are pretty darn good. Was lucky to go to one of there catered parties.
Though my wife does not use their recipe for Ropa Vieja it is one of my favorite dishes she makes.
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Antoin You are lumping a huge land mass into one basket when you say South America.
I have been around Central/South America a lot and the beef and cooking styles vary widely.
Bolivia is not really reknown for it's quality of beef. (I get restaurants from Bolvia contacting me and they all bitch about that). Also the only place that will grow good beef in Bolvia is the pastures in the low lands near Santa Cruz or in the South. A llama is about the only thing that survives up in the mountains or near San luis Potosi (Highest city in the world BTW). In Argentina where I am they only use salt on the beef nothing else.Comment
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For marinating, rather than lime juice, what is today used in Latin America is "naranja agria" or butter oranges juice. It is the juice of the Seville orange. Goya sells it in bottles. I can get it in supermarket locally. If you can't find it, a suitable substitute can be created with orange, lime and grapefruit juices. The other common flavorings added to the juice are garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Some Peruvian chicken marinades use soy sauce. Goya, or other brand, bottled mojo criollo contain a lot of the basic ingredients and can be a good starting place.Comment
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Thanks. Will try some combosComment
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This question is a tough one to answer. As Ahumadora mentioned, grilled fixing vary widely across the board. Even within each Country, things vary to the point that cuts are not only fixed in different and distinct ways, but often are referred to using different names.
Most cuts are seasoned with salt, only salt, and grilled over direct heat, that be "a la leña" i.e. seasoned wood or "al carbon", i.e. charcoal. That’s the traditional way, particularly in cattle country.
Generally speaking, and it’s not truly accurate to oversimplify it in this manner... the more you travel away from the Atlantic Coast line towards higher elevations, the more other seasonings are introduced. In areas of higher elevations, beef isn’t consumed as much as other livestock. In areas of rich vegetation, you get to see more sauces and flavorful marinades applied to different cuts, plus a wider assortment of accompaniments. That too varies widely. Along the Pacific Coast line, you get even more variations and presentations, plus the selection of critters that are customarily grilled, gets even wider.
Do you have photos? That may help to identify what seasoning were applied and what cooking techniques were used.
Cheers,
RicardoComment
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Sorry posted in wrong place.Comment
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