Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa)

[Dewesq55]

1/2 bottle (12 ozs.) Goya brand Mojo Criollo marinade
8 oz. Dark or Amber Beer
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 packet Sazon con culantro y achiote
1 whole chicken
Place all the ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl and mix well place chicken in a large Ziplock bag big enough to hold the chicken and marinade and still zip closed securely. Pour the marinade into the bag over the chicken. Get out as much of the air as you can and zip the bag close. Place the entire bag in a large bowl or pot to catch any drips or spills and refrigerate for at least 12, and preferably 24 hrs.
Pre-heat grill with rotisserie for 2 zone cooking. Stabilize the heat inside the cooker at about 325°F. Place the chicken on the spit rod and secure. Tie up the leg tips and tie the wings to the body and rotisserie cook until done about 60-90 minutes over indirect heat.

Serve with Peruvian Aji Sauce.

EDIT: I have recently tweaked the recipe for the chicken marinade/brine. I think it makes it a tad more savory and more like what I used to get in Pio Pio in NYC. SEE BELOW!

1. Increased soy sauce too â…“ cup
2. Increased kosher salt to 1½ Tbsp
3. Increased cumin to 1 full tsp. I have left the recipe above intact as originally posted for those that want it. I highly recommend the changes, though.

[Strat50]

I freakin' love achiote paste on fowl! I will do this on my next chicken thigh cook. It will make crazy, diseased tacos!

[W.A.]

Cookin this tomorrow. Thank you!

[fzxdoc]

Thanks, DEW, for this recipe. It's on my weekend menu if I can find all of the ingredients at the grocery today.

Kathryn

[oldsteve]

Hi Dew. I'm going to make your great sounding recipe but I have a question about which of the Goya brand Mojo marinades you used?The Mojo Criollo, or the Mojo Chipotle. Thanks!

oldsteve

[Dewesq55]

I should have made that clear. It's the Mojo Criollo.

[Dewesq55]

This chicken is traditionally (at least in the U.S) served with a spicy green sauce called ajà(ah-HEE) sauce. I have posted a recipe for it here: http://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/for...aj%C3%AD-sauce

[Flavorsavor]

Thanks for posting this recipe. Made it this weekend on the kettle w/ rotisserie and it was absolutely delicious, it will be in the rotation from now on!

[Guy]

Dewesq55 do you have to use a rotisserie? Will it work with a Votex, big end up with chicken over it? Coals to the outside.

[Dewesq55]

I'm not sure Guy. I have always used a rotisserie and that's how it is cooked in the restaurants. I think the rotisserie results in very even cooking of the skin. But I don't have a kettle or a vortex so I can't really say if they would work the same. They might. I think a vertical chicken roaster (beer butt chicken contraption) would work, so why not a vortex?

[fzxdoc]

I made this recipe again last night. Since you first posted it, Dewesq55 , I bet I've made it a dozen times or so. It is so delicious.

I'm not a huge fan of marinades--I usually find them messy without imparting as much flavor as a rub does. But there's something magic about what this marinade does to chicken.

I usually split the chickens vertically, removing the backbone and splitting at the breastbone, marinate each half in its own gallon ziploc bag, and then, when the time comes, hang them on the PBC.

The PBC is known for making juicy chicken, but with this recipe, the traditional PBC juicy chicken is amped up even more. Cooking at 350+ deg, the skin actually gets nice and crisp enough to be bite-through. I usually do 2 chickens at a time because we love leftovers.

Of course I served it with your Aji sauce recipe (another winner). Disappointed that the Huacatay Black Mint that I ordered from Amazon came with the safety button on the lid already popped, so I had to throw it away without using it. Cilantro as a substitute is still a quite tasty option.

So all of this is to say thank you for posting this recipe all those years ago. It's yet another example of the quality of tasty recipes available here on The Pit. Just wanted you to know that this recipe has become a classic in our house.

Kathryn

[Dewesq55]

You are most welcome, Kathryn! I, too often cook 2 at a time. That really sucks about the huacatay paste. But, as you say, cilantro is a mighty tasty substitute. Have you been adding the lime juice at the end that I added to the recipe a while back?

[fzxdoc]

Yes I have, Dewesq55 . I think adding lime juice takes it to another level. So glad you told us to add it.

K.

[barelfly]

And the first part to go along with the sauce! Thank you for posting fzxdoc and resurrecting a good one!