Carne Asada (chicken thighs)


 
Clint

Clint

TVWBB Olympian
When I hear Carne Asada I think beef, but I have a new cookbook I've been enjoying from Northern Mexico and it says "Carne asada means "broiled meat" and in northern Mexico also means a cookout or barbecue, a picnic in the country where meat is cooked over an open fire". In the chicken section it says chicken is not usually favored in N. Mexico but I digest.

So I put 2 pounds of bs chicken thighs in the marinade this morning (black pepper, garlic, a little cumin, salt, olive oil, then I added the juice of 1 lime and some cilantro), went for a long walk, and stopped at Lowes on the way home 'cause I was out of mesquite and this cookbook has been talking it up.

Here's the chicken - it cooked really fast I thought, about 18-20 minutes, mostly indirect, maybe close to 5 minutes direct.

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I made this rice & beans last night but didn't get around to cooking the chicken

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I cut 2 of the thighs & got to work

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The drink is a horchata, not at all like the cinnamon/rice drink they serve around here - this one's basically a blended canteloupe, seeds & all (no rind), 2 tsp sugar, some lime juice, water, and a half tsp vanilla. It tastes like a desert! I had water with my dinner since I was thirstier than this drink - went on a long-for-me-lately hike around noon (8 miles, ~3150 vert climb).
 
Nice looking tacos Clint. Love the grilled chicken used in tacos. Did the mesquite flavor come through much? I like the healthy drink too. Sounds really delicious! Eight miles would be a very long hike for me, especially with that elevation gain.
 
Now you've up and raised the bar. Really like the whole thing. One of the things I like to do is study the regions or areas of this country when I do a recipe to see what drives some of the ingredients and styles of cooking.
Geez Clint an eight mile walk, I get tired driving the car that far.:p
 
Clint, that is outstanding love the idea of chicken. You can pass a plate full this way now. Your hike sounds great and long, glad you are able to enjoy doing it.
 
Robert T said:
Did the mesquite flavor come through much? I like the healthy drink too. Sounds really delicious!
Click to expand...

Not as much as I'd thought - I used 2 handfuls of chips and thought "well I haven't made anything offensive (over smoked) in a LONG time".

I think I'll start to experiment with Mesquite again - I haven't used it all that much compared to other smoke woods..... I over smoked (pretty much inedible) some turkey breasts 10-11 years ago (low/slow, water in the pan), and probably some poultry / other cooks the same way, so I was always careful with it after that.

The drink is good! I couldn't find any vanilla, thought about getting some from a neighbor but ordered some instead.... it's good without it too.
 
Looks excellent!

And, yes; 'carne' simply means 'meat', so I assume chicken is perfectly good here - it sure looks that way at least.
 
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