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This recipe is just one of the many ways Mexico does pollo al carbon based on the best-known version; pollo Sinaloense, sold most commonly on roadsides in Sinaloa. The chicken is rubbed with a paste usually consisting of guajillo chilies, spices, citrus juices and sometimes achiote paste to add an extra pop of red and earthy flavor. After that, they are slowly cooked over charcoal until the brick red marinade sticks to the skin and gets charred around the edges. The end result is a ridiculously flavorful skin, smokey meat, and an all-around juicy bird.

Pollo al Carbon (Charcoal Chicken)

Jonathan Zaragoza

Jonathan Zaragoza

Category

Serves

4

Especially when spices are involved, I am a big believer in weighing the ingredients. Weigh or measure all the spices before beginning the recipe.

Begin this recipe the day before as the chicken needs to marinate, overnight or for 24 hours.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 1 (4 pound/4.8 kilogram) chicken, wishbone removed and spatchcocked
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper

For the Marinade (makes 1 quart )

  • 75 grams (⅓ cup) canola oil
  • 100 grams (½ medium) white onion, cut into large dice
  • 150 grams (about 1 cup) cloves garlic, whole, peeled
  • 4 grams (1 ¼ teaspoons) kosher salt
  • .50 gram (½ teaspoon) dried Mexican oregano
  • .80 gram (¼ teaspoon) cumin seeds
  • .50 gram (8 each) whole cloves
  • 1.5 grams (½ teaspoon) black peppercorns
  • 1.5 grams (½ inch piece) Mexican cinnamon, broken into pieces
  • 1 gram (12) arbol chilies, stemmed, optional
  • 40 grams (3 4) guajillo chilies, seeded, stemmed, and cut into medium pieces
  • 100 grams (⅓ cup) achiote paste
  • 550 grams (2 ⅓ cups) water
  • 20 grams (1 ½ tablespoons) apple cider vinegar
  • 50 grams (3 ½ tablespoons) pineapple juice
  • 50 grams freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 lime)
  • 50 grams freshly squeezed orange juice (from ½ orange)

For Serving (any or all of the following)

  • Cucumber and tomato salad
  • Mexican red rice
  • Refried beans
  • Grilled onions
  • Salsa
  • Corn tortillas
  • Chopped white onion
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Lime wedges

Method

  1. After spatchcocking the chicken, score at the joints to ensure even cooking. Lay the chicken on a baking sheet and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, breast side up, uncovered while making the marinade.
  2. To make the marinade. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering add in the onion and garlic and season with the salt. Cook, stirring until tender and almost golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, cumin, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon and chilies and toast until they are fragrant, about 1 minute. Break up the achiote paste and add. Pour in the water, vinegar, and lime and orange juices. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then turn off. Cool to room temperature, then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. This makes double what you will need for this recipe. Half of the marinade can be transferred to an airtight container and frozen for up to 3 months for another use.
  3. Brush half of the remaining marinade over both sides of the chicken. Return to the refrigerator, breast side up, uncovered for at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight.
  4. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let come to room temp, about 1 hour.
  5. Meanwhile, set up a charcoal grill (preferably a Weber kettle-style). Pour unlit coals on to one side in the bottom, coming about one-quarter of the way up the sides of the grill. Heat charcoal in a chimney then carefully pour on top of the unlit coals. Carefully set a disposable aluminum pan on the other side in the bottom of the grill and fill the pan with water. Set the grate back on top.
  6. Lay the chicken, breast side up, on the grate above the aluminum pan, and close the grill. Cook for about 20 minutes and then rotate, still breast side up, so the opposite side is facing the coal side of the grill. Continue to cook until the chicken registers 165˚F in the thickest part of the thigh, 20 to 30 minutes. While the chicken cooks, you can periodically brush it with the reserved marinade and check the grill temperature, keeping it around 225˚F. Once the chicken reaches 165˚F, move to the hot side of the grate over the coals, breast side down. When charred and crispy turn it and repeat on the other side, a few minutes per side. Remove to a baking sheet or cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into pieces.
  7. Serve with the desired accompaniments.

I like to grill knob onions, which are a cross between scallions and bulb onions, that have been slowly cooked in lard with aromatics until tender and then grilled to char.

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