The Chipotle Chicken at the CFV Event

Okay, there seems to be a ground swell of interest in the chicken that I made for the crossfit event on Saturday that cannot be captured simply by the sauce, so I think I should elaborate on what made that dish so remarkable and why it would not be possible to recreate exactly by simply basting in the sauce.

First and foremost, you always have to take my recipes as guidelines, not as gospel. Add ingredients slowly, taste, and retaste continually. For example, I say to use two cups of water in that recipe, but that isnt so simple. I was realistically using 7-9 to 1 ratios of water to tomato paste. Here's why the over estimation and simplification: regardless of the quantity, you have to simmer the sauce for a long time to evaporate a lot of that water off. The water is there to thin out the tomato paste, you need to add, add, add, add, little by little until you have reduced the percieved sweetness of the super concentrated tomato paste out, then you have to reduce it to a point where it is thick enough to not spill off of your meat when you cook it. It is an art in some respects.

Second, the chicken had copious amounts of freshly cracked pepper (a mini WOD in twisting arm strength in itself), copious amounts of sea salt, and olive oil covering all parts. It was then marinated over night in that concoction of salt, pepper and oil. Why, you ask, should you do that step? Sometimes your sauces will suck, as this one could have, and you need to make sure that your food would be good enough to eat if you decide your sauce isnt up to snuff. If I had left this marinade on it without the sauce, the chicken still would have been great. I have a post on my cooking fundementals/ food tips labels about seasoning with salt and pepper. Anything is good with it, supplemental flavors only enhance the fundementals.

Third, this chicken was cooked over red oak coals, in a true Santa Maria style BBQ. This is probably the most important difference that most of you will miss when making it at home. The smokey goodness that chicken takes on from true barbeque, as opposed to gas grilling is remarkable. To give you an idea of what I mean, when I was living at my dad's house, with his $4,000 gas grill, I still when out and bought a $40 charcoal grill and $4 wood chips to achieve this taste. Some aspects of cooking are more valuable than others, and this is one of them. Briquettes and logs beat gas for taste hands down (with that being said, I make a mean cilantro, lemon, jalapeno and habenaro chicken that is ruined by smoke, each has its specific place).

Fourth, I let my sauce's flavors meld into each other over night. Diffusion is a real phenomenon that needs to be respected. Have you ever made a dish that was better reheated? Or a salsa that was better after sitting for half a day? Same thing here: completeness and maturity. I let my sauce cure over night.

Fifth, my suggestion of Chipotle Oil (Troy, this is for you), was made as ambiguous as possible for the very reason that there are a thousand ways to come about such an oil. If you find one made for commercial use, like the Tabasco brand, you must pay attention to the ingredients like vinegar, salt, spices, etc. and adjust everything else to accomodate for the flavor concentrations in the pre-packaged sauce. I call for vinegar in my recipe, look out for it in your store bought sauce, and reduce what I call for. I call for 6 t in my recipe, taste how hot/ over powering your sauce/ oil is and adjust accordingly. Do NOT throw 6 t in blindly. One t at a time is needed sometimes. My hot oils can be pretty fucking hot. Sometimes, they are mild. Be prudent.

Sixth, sauce is the last thing to see the grill. The food should be almost done by the time you touch the grill with sauce. Baste, and then baste baste baste baste. Serve. This advice comes primarily from pre-paleo days when lots of store bought sauces had sugar in them and would burn onto the food. Turns out, this is a great idea regardless of sugar content.

Finally, cooking can make a difference. Mitch said, "I never met a one flipper..." I am that one flipper. I think it is easier to control a population of grilled chicken if I flip once, then move pieces around hot spots around once, and then baste when all of the food is ready. I have been grilling for ten years and learning everyday.

Seriously though, there are a dozen finer points that go into cooking that are almost impossible to have you all understand without a ton of expericence, like how you mince shallots and garlic, and then how you saute them in oil before you do anything else which can only be truly understood with trying something, fucking up, and then trying it again and again. I rarely repost recipes because each recipe is a learning experience for me that can be expounded upon, but all of you should practice, adjust, and then move forward.