On Oct 7, 10:41*am, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Tue, 6 Oct 2009 12:08:17 -0700 (PDT), RockPyle wrote:
> > Follow-up on the first required cook from this book:
>
> > Made the Mojo Criollo Chicken from Low and Slow and it came out
> > fantastic.
>
> > Bought two small fryers (5.5 lb total) and halved them as per the
> > instructions in the book. *I had seen plenty of recipes involving
> > spatchcocked chicken, but had never done it. *Cutting out the backbone
> > was easier than I had expected, and then rather than leaving the bird
> > butterflied, the recipe specifies separating the halves. *All of this
> > was done quite easily and neatly.
>
> > Marinated overnight using a 24 ounce bottle of Goya brand Mojo
> > Criollo, which os a citrus and spice marinade in teh Mexican section
> > of my local snooty supermarket. *I am not sure if my local megamart
> > carries it, but will check. *The marinade was very strong smelling,
> > which singalled goodness.
>
> > After a marinade overnight (longer then the couple of hours in the
> > book), I popped the birds into my smoker and cooked for about 2 and a
> > half hours (smoker was running about 260* F).
>
> > Chickens came out great! *Skin was not crispy but edible (better then
> > the beer can chicken I made previously). *Meat was tender and the
> > citrus/spice flavor was exquisite!
>
> > So, two thumbs up for the first cooking lesson from Wiviott's book!
>
> That's it? *Buy a bottle of mojo criollo, marinate chicken, and
> smoke for 2.5 hours?
>
> Heck, give me $19.95 and I'll teach you a lesson, too. *The first
> lesson is that advice like that is free.
>
> -sw- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

That was meant mostly as a balance to my mostly negative review of the
tone of the book.

His approach is sound: first get comfortable with your equipment and
fire, then start with simple recipes and expand as you gain comfort
with your equipment and process.

I started with short ribs, and other small cuts that would cook
quickly to get to know my equipment.

Rock