Make This Pollo Al Carbon and Wow a Crowd

Bowl of pollo al carbon on table with beans and salsa

May 24, 2024

For years, Minneapolis-based chef Jorge Gúzman has been perfecting his Yucatecan-influenced pollo al carbon recipe. The final result is a bird that's juicy, with a hint of sweetness and acidity, just the right amount of heat, and a kiss of smoke, courtesy of the grill. You can sample this magical marriage of charcoal and chicken at his aptly named pop-up Pollo al Carbon if you're in the area— or you can create it at home. Read on for the (ever-so slightly adapted) recipe. While the ingredient list is long, we promise it's worth the extra effort.

Yucatecan Pollo al Carbon

Jorge Gúzman

Rated 4.6 stars by 5 users

Chef Jorge recommends serving this dish with fresh tortillas, rice and beans (like Mayocobas), and a zippy salsa for the perfect taco dinner.

Ingredients

For the Rub

1 whole, spatchcocked (butterflied) chicken
4 ½ tbsp annatto powder
4 ¼ tbsp salt
1 tbsp oregano
4 tbsp guajillo powder
½ tsp cardamom
2 tsp lime zest (from one lime)
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp pimentón (smoked paprika)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cinnamon

For the Basting Liquid

1 cup orange juice
1 cup lime juice
½ cup grapefruit juice
8 tablespoons recado rojo (achiote paste)
2 ½ tsp salt
2 cloves of garlic
⅓ cup chopped cilantro, stems included
1 small or medium tomato, charred

Directions

The night before, prepare your rub by mixing together all the dry spices and ingredients, then applying evenly to coat your butterflied chicken. Stack a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and leave your bird to rest on the rack in the fridge, uncovered, overnight or 8-10 hours before you plan to grill.
Prepare your charcoal grill. Ideally you’ll have an area with indirect heat and another with higher direct heat.
While your grill is heating, prepare the basting liquid by pureeing all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Once your coals are warm, throw your chicken, breast side down, onto direct heat for about 10 minutes or until you get some nice color and char marks. Apply basting liquid all over the exposed side of the chicken with a spoon or brush.
Then move your chicken to indirect heat, breast side up, and brush chicken with basting liquid again. Leave to cook for about 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 145 to 150°F. Keep basting the chicken every 10 minutes or so until it’s ready.
Remove chicken from grill and allow to rest 15 minutes. It will continue to cook with residual heat and reach 165°F, at which point, it’s ready to be cut and served.