Enchiladas de Chili Ajo

[Peter Gallagher]

This is a recipe out of Saveur that we've made a couple of times now and really enjoy. As with most things we do around here, the recipe is modified to be prepared (mostly) outside. I apologize for the picture heavy post. There was a lot going on!

We start with brining some chickens. I like a 17 degree brine for about 12 hours.

Next they are rubbed down with a mix of Chile de Arbol, Chile Guajillo, New Mexican "Anaheim" Chile, onion, Mexican oregano, black pepper and garlic- No salt in the rub, as the brine get the meat to the proper saltiness. Then I hit them with some cilantro / garlic butter before sticking them out on the WSM

Action shot! These are getting close - I did them around 325 for about 2 hours maybe a little more.

...and done! Let them cool, wrap them and into the fridge over night before shredding.

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Next morning shred the chickens and get ready to start the red sauce -

Got the 22" going and grilled some veggies for the sauce. I threw a hunk of Mulberry wood on for flavor.

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After veggies are done, heat the Chiles for a bit, soak in hot water, then blend the entire mess up with the smoked veggies and then strain. The end result is on the right. This stuff is so good!

Assemble the enchiladas and serve with rice and beans - Enjoy!
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[Bill Schultz]

Magic on a plate Pete, what I would have given to sit at that table. Do you seed all those chili's or no?

 

[RogerS]

Wow! What a great cook! Thanks for sharing Peter!

 

[Peter Gallagher]

seeded - For dry chili's, I've always found it much easier to seed them before rehydrating - That contradicts what's called for in this particular recipe (which I ignored) - For chili's I roast, I seed while skinning afterwards. I've gotten pretty fast at that, but for dried ones, I do them first.

 

[Bill Schultz]

Got it, I've done both and agree, thanks

Gentlemen the Master Class is concluded

 

[Tony R]

I bet this enchiladas were delicious.
Lots of great flavors ......

 

[John Solak]

That plated pic is a thing of perfection!!!! I have never made my own enchilada sauce before

 

[Pete in PG]

Pete let's Eat!!

Great looking cook!

 

[Jim Lampe]

Quite a Fantastic cook & post, Peter!!

 

[Tim McCann]

Very nice cook! Nice documentation!

 

[Dwain Pannell]

Very authentic dish. Perfect.

 

[John Wheeler]

Great cook! Love this site. So much good food and never enough time.

 

[Dave from Denver]

Nice cambros. What do you mean 177 degree brine?

 

[Brian Dahl]

ditto what Dave asked. That being asked, beautiful meal, Peter.

 

[Peter Gallagher]

Nice cambros. What do you mean 177 degree brine?

Good catch - Sticky key – that was supposed to be 17 degree brine. It's the salinity (if that’s a word) of a brine as read by a salometer. For a 17 degree brine its 4.487 percent salt by weight, which is .391 pounds of salt per gallon.

 

[Paul Kastner]

Dang one fine plate.

 

[Gary H. NJ]

Those chicken look as good as it gets. Nice post Peter.

 

[Robert T]

Wow. What a great meal!

 

[Barret]

That IS a great post! Pic-heavy or not, I don't care! I just enjoyed seeing all the beautiful, clear shots of the awesome food. Now that I have been cooking/grilling/smoking for about 14 years now, I tend to look more closely at the preparatory shots more than the action shots...and the trussing on those birds appears to have been completed by a professional! Nice job, Peter!

Thanks for sharing!

Barret

 

[Jerome D.]

I apologize for the picture heavy post.

Peter -

This cook is a true culinary masterpiece! No apologies needed for a picture heavy post --- I don't think there's such a thing as a post with too many great photos.