This recipe is nearly flawless. You may not have all of the ingredients listed or may just wish to improvise a few steps. Do it your way by all means, but if you stick to this recipe, you are in for some truly Holy Pollo. As always, cooking method is probably the most flexible variable here. We usually opt for a charcoal fire with rotisserie when we have the ideal scenerio, but this is not always the case. Circumstances might leave you with nothing more than a hibachi or ...gasp...an oven. Fear not. Your pollo will amaze regardless. In our Substitutions section, we offer some tips on how to achieve the best results from even the humble oven. In this section we also offer alternatives to other hard to come by ingredients As for the Chicken itself, don't be tempted to buy one of those freakishly large 'oven roaster' chickens. They taste like leather and require more indirect heat. More indirect heat usually means that you are basically smoking the bird--this is a NO NO. We don't want smoked chicken, we want grilled chicken. After all, this isn't 'Smokey Pollo'. If you don't have a rotisserie, the 'beer-can' method of grilling chicken seems to work the best of all of the indirect grilling methods. Check out our section on indirect grilling and the beer-can method specifically.After making this recipe a few times, you may want to improvise the marinade paste to 'make it your own'. Please experiment and let us know how it goes. Remember one thing: this is supposed to be a paste, so keep you liquids to a minimum. This classic should be served with the usual suspects (huacatay/aji sauce, mayo, french fries, salad(?)). This served with a nice cold Inca Cola or your beer of choice and you and your friends will be getting your chicken 'freak-on' into the wee hours of the night.
Rinse chicken well inside out, pat dry, cut off excess fat, tuck the wings
Combine the reaiming ingredients in an upright mixer (or in a bowl if using an Immersion blender)
Pulse mixture until you have a paste. If necessary, thin the mixture with water or more beer.
Taste it. Add splash of vinegar and salt accordingly.
Rub the chicken with mixture inside and out, making sure you covered all parts of the chickens. Flavoring cannot naturally penetrate chicken skin. Where ever possible, it is important to seperate the skin and apply the paste directly to the meat.
Seal them up in a large zip-top bag (or in a large bowl covered in plastic wrap) and put them in the fridge for 6 hours.
Prepare your Grill. We of course like to use wood char rather than gas, but use what you have. In our "Alternative Methods" section, we even explore Deep Fried Pollo. But for now, we'll stick to the Brasa bro. If you lack a Grill Rotisserie, you will need to setup your grill for indirect grilling*. Be careful not to 'smoke' the chicken. We are not here to smoke anything. The best Pollo a la Brasa has a slight charcoal flavor but NOT a smokey flavor. *See tips below
Maintain the pollo and the fire. It will take in a semi-open grill about 1 hour to 1 1/4 of an hour at medium heat (180 - 200 degrees F.) on an open Grill will take a little longer and temperature must be between 200 - 240 degrees F. Chicken should be about 12 inches away from fire at least. Much of this depends on your grill and your personal experience, so feel free to experiment. If you are using a rotiserrie, you may want to have the coals closer. Remove the bird from the Grill and place on a large cutting board when it has reached an internal temperature slightly over 170 degrees*. *See tips below
When the bird has sat for 10 minutes, quarter the bird with a butcher knife and serve with the condiments, maybe some french fries, and who knows...maybe a salad. See our post on quatering chicken here
Comments
In your ingredients you did not list "black pepper". I remember having "Pollo a la Brasa" in Peru an always I could see the Black pepper in the inside of chicken and on the skin. I just marinated my Chicken and tonight I will put it to my charcoal grill. I do not own a rotisserie grill. I hope It will taste good.
Black Pepper is an absolutly key ingredient. We had listed 'salt and pepper' as a final ingredient so that you could adjust these to taste. However, to your point, we will adjust the text to list the specific quanity(we usually use about a tsp). Thanks for the excellent feedback and we hope your bird was a good a you remember it!
Does eating chicken everyday cause any harm?
I bought a rotisserie set and made my " Pollo a la brasa" in my charcoal grill. I improvised two brackets to hold the rotiesserie. After 1 1/2 hours the chiken was delicius. With aji Huacatay , french fries , fresh salad and Inkacola ( Peruvian Soda) . Next time I will put less ginger. Is there any way to upload a picture? Thanks for the recipe My family loved it.
We modified the recipe to dial-back a little on the ginger. The ginger flavor is important, but depending on the intensity of the ginger root you are using, it can weigh too heavily on the flavor of the bird. Email your photo to gringo@holypolloNOSPAM.com and we'll post it! Glad to hear you enjoyed it with all the right fixin's...
We are trying this but can't get to your link on alternative methods because the rotisserie is onot working! suggestions?
You really know your stuff... Keep up the good work!
The problem with pollo a la brasa isn’t determining the best (I like El Pollo Rico; others swear by the same-named restaurant in Wheaton) or worst; it’s differentiating restaurants in the vast middle of the pack. So while the chicken at Chirilagua Pollo & Steak, a newish Arlandria joint, is very good, it’s no better than at 50 other similar restaurants.
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“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”