"Adobo" paste or rub for chicken

My first WSM is currently on a Fed Ex truck and scheduled for delivery this afternoon. On Saturday, I think I'll throw some chickens on there for a break-in cook, and although I may use something simpler just to get acquainted with the WSM, I might use my "famous" (among family and friends, anyway) adobo paste. I offer it here as a "hello."

I've used this paste with great success for grilled chicken (over charcoal and gas both) but have never tried it in a smoker...

All measurements are approximate, by the way.

1/8 cup each of the following ground chiles:
Pasilla
New Mexico
California
2 Tbs Guajillo chile powder
1 tsp. Chile de Arbol powder (or use a tablespoon of cayenne, or adjust for your heat preference)
2 Tbs. ground Cumin
2 Tbs. crushed mexican oregano
2 Tbs. kosher salt
2 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs brown sugar
One small onion, minced
Two cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C. Olive Oil
Juice of one to two limes

Mix it all together & put the paste in a zip-top bag. Put chicken pieces in the bag and massage the whole thing thoroughly to ensure chicken pieces are well-coated. Refrigerate for 4-8 hours; 12 is okay but more than that and the chicken may be over-marinated.

To make this paste as a rub, substitute onion & garlic powder for the fresh, and eliminate the oil & lime juice. You might also cut down on the salt or adjust proportions to your liking.

Other stuff that's nice in this:
Cinnamon
Cloves
Nutmeg
Anise
Allspice
Ground Cacao nibs

Experiment to your liking. Guajillo tends to be hot, and chile de arbol is blazing. Depending on your preferences, use more or less.

This is also great on flank steak, and I like to use more Pasilla and Guajillo for beef.

Enjoy!

EDIT: I left Cumin out of the recipe, which is lame, because it's a very important ingredient.

Welcome to the group, Jack! Sharing your Adobo is quite a big "hello," I must say. Mmmm, I can almost taste it. It sounds delicious and It looks as if a quart of it should last, oh.....maybe about 2 weeks.

Rita

Well, give it a try and see what you think. It's a flexible recipe as I'm sure you've figured out. You could use other chiles in it. With the paste version chipotles are very nice. I hope you enjoy it!

Jack, I definitely will try this. It might be a couple o' mo' months, but I will definitely report in. Right now things are a zoo around here - nothing serious, thank goodness, but stuff I have to take care of at the expense of stuff I'd rather be doing. It will sort itself out.

This paste is a must-try.
Rita

I am thinking of doing a lazy mans version of this with Goya Adobo seasoning and the following from the recipe:

One small onion, minced
Two cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C. Olive Oil
Juice of one to two limes

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Yes. Goya is kind of week on the flavor front. Got any ground chilies or at least chili powder?

Puree your onion and garlic with the juice of 1 1ime, 1/4 c of olive oil, 1-2 tsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp cumin, a pinch of oregano, and a Tbls of chili powder or ground chili of choice. Remove from the blender and add Goya to taste. Adjust pepper and add some cayenne if you'd like heat. If you want the mix thinner whisk in a little water then adjust salt by adding it or by adding more Goya. If you want a greater quantity add the juice of another lime, 1/4 c more oil, 1-2 Tbls more chili powder, then adjust salt.

Welcome to the board.

That sounds great - thanks for the advice.