Steven Raichlen's Planet Barbecue | Mexi-que | Episode 105
[Steven] Many Latin American grill masters make a virtue of simplicity.
But Mexicans build layer upon layer of flavor.
Today on Planet Barbecue, three Mexican grilled masterpieces, pollo asado...
This is fantastic.
The chicken is so tender, and you get the smokey flavor from the mesquite.
...grilled swordfish with salsa macha...
The fish is crusty on the outside, but what's really amazing is this salsa macha.
...and pork carne asado.
I feel like I'm eating a whole civilization in this taco.
[Johnny] Mm.
[Steven] From El Mercado in San Antonio, Texas, I'm Steven Raichlen and this is Planet Barbecue.
[opening theme music] [announcer] Steven Raichlen's "Planet Barbecue" is made possible by... [narrator 1] This is the Big Green Egg, where fire and flavor come together.
You can roast, bake, and sear with the versatility of a grill, oven, and barbecue smoker combined.
Locate a dealer at BigGreenEgg.com.
[narrator 2] Fire Magic, combining style with the versatility to sear, smoke, rotisserie cook, and charcoal grill.
Crafted in America for over 80 years.
[music] Shun Cutlery handcrafted in Japan.
[narrator 3] Father's Cooker, multi-fuel, multifunction.
[narrator 3] Argentine Beef proudly supports "Planet Barbecue."
[narrator 4] Truly wireless temperature starts with Maverick.
[announcer] And by the following: [Steven] Three early civilizations, the Mayan, Aztec, and Spanish, called Mexico home and helped make it one of the world's most complex, vibrant barbecue cultures.
The Mayans gave Mexico the pib, a stone-lined barbecue pit, still used to prepare the Yucatan's famous Cochinita pibil.
The Aztecs fire-roasted such indigenous, new world foods as turkey, corn, and chiles.
Charring the vegetables on the fire to make salsas, perfecting complex sauces of nuts, fruits, and chilies.
The Spanish brought a whole new set of ingredients and cooking technologies to Mexico's melting pot.
From the steer, hog, and lamb, to seasonings such as cumin and Seville oranges.
Equally impressive, is the way you eat Mexican barbecue: on freshly made tortillas with fiery salsas, often topped with pickled vegetables, sour cream, and piquant cheese.
Today, there isn't a Mexican city so big, or a pueblo so small where your nose won't lead you to the primal aroma of meat or fish roasting over charcoal.
San Antonio may be located in Texas, but its center of gravity lies South of the border.
Sixty-five percent of its citizens are of Mexican, or Latin American descent and the flavors of Mexico are ubiquitous.
Which may explain the extraordinary popularity of a local institution, the grilled chicken at Pollos Asados Los Norteños in San Antonio's East side.
One thing is for sure, you won't be alone.
How many chickens do you cook on a typical day?
[Mayela] Tuesday to Thursday, like 750.
[Steven] And the weekends?
[Mayela] Over 1,000 a day.
Over 1,000 chickens a day?
Once you see the massive grill, you'll understand its success.
Pollos Asados Los Norteños delivers some of the tastiest grilled chicken in Texas.
The brainchild of Mayela Garcia, who runs it with her extended family.
Where are you from in Mexico?
I come from Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico.
Okay, and that is in the Northern part of Mexico?
It is north.
Every corner got a chicken grill.
So, your family in Mexico asked you, "Why aren't you making this Northern Mexican style grilled chicken in San Antonio?"
There's nothing like it.
You started with a trailer.
[Mayela] Yes, outside.
[Steven] So, the trailer was out front, and this place was what?
Bar.
[Steven] It was a bar.
[Mayela] It was a bar.
[Steven] In time, the bar behind the restaurant came up for sale, so Mayela tapped her savings and bought it.
Today, Pollos Asados Los Norteños is a San Antonio landmark.
So, what makes the chicken here so special?
First, there's the cut, the technique known as spatchcocking.
The chicken was cut in half through the breast, and then you fold out the legs, make a cut in the back to open up the wings.
What he's done in effect, is maximize the surface area, the chicken that's exposed to the marinade and the fire.
This also enables you to cook a whole bird on an open grill.
No rotisserie, or smoker needed.
[Enrique De Lucio] Pone en el marinado.
[Steven] Okay.
Then, there's the citrus-based marinade, the recipe for which is a closely guarded secret.
It will give a great flavor to the chicken.
The chicken marinades for 15 minutes.
[Enrique De Lucio] Uh-huh.
[Steven] But, what really takes the chicken over the top is a unique three-step cooking process.
The first step is a gentle sizzle over a gas grill to cook the birds most of the way.
The next step is a hot sear over fiery mesquite charcoal to impart Los Norteño's distinctive char and smoke flavor.
You finish the chicken over mesquite charcoal?
Right.
Why Mesquite?
[Mayela] It makes a good flavor, and makes it juicy, and it makes it crispy.
[Steven] Mm.
The last step takes a page from the Texas brisket playbook.
The grilled chickens are placed in insulated coolers to rest the meat, allowing the juices to redistribute.
Result?
Grilled chicken with a smoky, mesquite char on the outside, juicy and meltingly tender within.
Well, I think we need to try your Pollos Asado Norteño.
[Mayela] Okay.
[Steven] Shall we?
This is a feast.
Mm, mm.
This is fantastic.
The chicken is so tender, and you get the smoky flavor from the mesquite.
This is your famous salsa verde.
Salsa verde.
Try the chicken and the salsa verde.
[Steven] Okay.
Mm.
Oh, that's fantastic.
Mm.
I'm tasting tomatillo?
Yeah.
Jalapeno.
[Mayela] Sí.
[Steven] Mm.
And the T-shirts of your waiters and waitresses say, "Mas salsa verde."
More salsa verde.
I can see why.
Yeah.
[Steven] To come to San Antonio without eating at Pollos Asado Norteño would be a little like visiting Paris and missing the Eiffel Tower.
Mayela, thank you so much for your hospitality and your wonderful chicken.
[Mayela] Thank you, and I appreciate it.
10 years ago, few Americans had heard of Salsa Macha.
Today, this fiery chili and nut salsa has achieved cult status.
Turning up at trendy restaurants across Texas, hailed as a most valuable condiment by the New York Times.
Salsa Macha is said to have originated in Orizaba in the Mexican state of Veracruz.
And unlike most Mexican salsas, it contains neither tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, or cilantro.
Today, I'm pairing it with lime and tequila-marinated grilled swordfish.
Get ready for smoke and fire.
This Salsa Macha starts with two chilies, the chile morita, and the Chile de árbol.
The Morita is a fruity chili, mildly spicy, and what you want to do is cut it open and remove the seeds.
Next, seed the chiles de árbol.
And chiles de árbol are very spicy.
We'll remove the stems as well.
Next, add your dry peanuts, cashews, pepitas, also known as pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, garlic cloves, and finally, the chiles.
Dry-roast in a dry skillet until golden and aromatic.
When fragrant, add about three quarters of a cup of vegetable oil.
This is a very singular salsa.
It almost reminds me of an Asian chili oil.
You can see the sesame seeds are golden brown.
The peanuts are brown, the garlic has taken on some color.
Transfer the ingredients from the skillet into a food processor.
Place the lid on the food processor... ...and grind the nuts and seeds to a coarse puree.
Now, scrape down the sides of the processor.
Then add dried cranberries and salt.
You want to add about a half cup of oil.
Add enough oil to obtain a thick, but pourable salsa.
And there my friends, is your Salsa Macha.
Fire up your grill to grill the swordfish.
First, light up the fire under the smoker box and load the smoker box with your favorite wood chips.
I'm using soaked mesquite chips.
Then, place the lid on the smoker box.
This may seem counterintuitive, but in fact, by placing the lid on the smoker box, the chips will smolder, rather than catch fire.
And at the same time, turn the burners under the conventional grill grate on high.
So, we'll smoke the swordfish from here, grill it over here.
For the swordfish, we've cut beautiful, two-finger thick steaks.
And we'll start by seasoning the swordfish with coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, freshly squeezed lime juice.
Why not a splash of mescal to reinforce that smoke flavor.
And last of all, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Now, turn the swordfish steaks over and season this side the same way.
And I like to just pat the seasonings into the fish with the flat of a fork.
Marinate the fish for 15 to 20 minutes.
The grill is hot, the wood chips are smoking, so we just need to oil the grate to keep the fish from sticking.
I'm using a half of lime, impaled on a carving fork, and I'll just draw it across the bars of the grate.
Get the fish and position it on the grill grate.
And I'd like to go slightly on the diagonal of the bars of the grate.
And close the grill lid.
This is a really quick cook.
Two minutes on one side.
We do not want to overcook this fish.
All right.
After a couple of minutes, give each swordfish steak a quarter turn.
Once the swordfish is sizzling and browned on the bottom, turn it over.
So, here are your grilled swordfish steaks.
So, spoon the Salsa Macha on the bottom of the platter.
Then, arrange the swordfish steaks on top.
And place a lime wedge on top of each swordfish steak.
And there you have it, folks.
Grilled swordfish with Salsa Macha.
Let's see how we did.
First, a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Then, cut a bite, dip it in the salsa.
Mm, this is outrageous.
The fish is crusty on the outside, moist on the inside.
But what's really amazing is this Salsa Macha.
You got little crunchy bursts of sesame seed and toasted peanut and cashew.
I have never tasted anything quite like Salsa Macha with fish, but I can't wait to make it again.
Johnny Hernandez may be the busiest man in San Antonio.
Chef, restaurateur, arts patron and philanthropist, he presides over an empire that includes 11 restaurants, a stone-ground tortilla factory, and yes, even a fleet of La Gloria Margarita Trucks.
His mission is simple, to promote the authentic Mexican cuisine of his Nuevo León and Michoacan forebears.
Thanks to his tireless efforts, in 2017, UNESCO designated San Antonio a creative city of gastronomy.
Johnny, I have been following and admiring your career for decades.
Welcome to Planet Barbecue.
Oh, it's beautiful to have you here, Steven.
[Steven] So, what do you have for us?
[Johnny] Today, we're preparing carne enchilada which is the perfect weekend barbecue taco to have.
Mm.
And, you know, like chefs love to say, "It's simple to do, right?"
It's simple to do, right?
We've only spent two hours preparing for this one.
The most important thing about a great carne enchilada is our adobo, right?
So, a Mexican adobo is a seasoning, a seasoning paste.
The best way to start, is with fresh garlic in our Molcajete.
So, we're going to start smashing the fresh garlic.
Mhmm.
All right, I'm going to add some salt to this-- I've been told this is a Mexican food processor.
A Mexican-- We'll keep adding some garlic.
We got about six of them or so going in there.
[Steven] Okay.
You're doing a wonderful job.
Thank you, thank you.
Well, if things ever get tough, maybe I can come work for you.
[Johnny] All right.
So, we'll start adding some of our aromatics that we want to grind into that.
We're going to do some comino.
[Steven] Okay.
All right.
You can smell that beautiful comino in there, right?
[Steven] I do.
[Johnny] We'll add some oregano.
And this is Mexican oregano.
[Steven] Of course.
[Johnny] Yup.
And so, Mexican oregano is much more pungent.
It has a lot more, to me, aroma and character.
Mm.
Very different from let's say, the Mediterranean style of oregano.
Right?
What about that clove?
And then, we're going to drop that clove-- [Steven] Got to have a clove.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Teamwork.
[laughing] Now, if you want a little bit of heat-- [Steven] I love heat.
[Johnny] You do?
So, we're going to do two pequin in there.
[Steven] Okay.
[Johnny] So, we have these chili pequin, which are one of the native-- -Little.
-Yup, small.
[Johnny] So, that's giving us a little bit of heat.
But you see this beautiful paste coming together?
All right, so every adobo will have dry chilies.
[Steven] Mhmm.
Today, we're putting two of my favorites with chile guajillo and chile ancho.
The guajillo's very much like a New Mexico pepper, but like an Anaheim, a fresh Anaheim that are dried.
[Steven] Mhmm.
[Johnny] And then, the ancho is a poblano pepper-- Both of these we seed, right?
So, we cut them down the middle, remove the stem, remove the seeds.
What I like to do is 20 minutes in hot water, bring the water up to a quick simmer and then, cover them.
Let them sit in that hot water for 20 minutes.
Okay.
So, they soften.
Yeah, they soften.
[Johnny] This is what we have here, our dry chilies that are nice and pliable, very soft.
So, we're going to start adding anchos.
[Steven] Okay.
[Johnny] And you're going to start grinding these anchos.
Both of these chilies are very mild.
The guajillo chili has a very thick skin.
[Steven] Okay.
[Johnny] So, we're just taking the flesh right out of the skin.
That's looking beautiful.
I'm going to add some more ancho.
[Steven] Okay.
I'm going to do one more guajillo.
[Steven] One more guajillo.
[Johnny] And then, the Piloncillo.
Okay?
[Steven gasping] You want me to take over?
No, I'm good.
I'm just kidding.
This is a beautiful paste.
So, this is Mexican brown sugar.
All right.
Right?
It has molasses.
It has some spices.
[Steven] Just taste this.
Yup.
A little bit.
Sweet.
There's a more molasses-- [Johnny] Molasses.
A little bit more molassify flavor-- Yes, yes, for sure.
--than conventional American brown sugar.
[Johnny] And this is looking beautiful.
I'm going to add some fresh lime juice.
[Steven] Okay.
So, a little citrus.
And then, we'll do a little fresh orange in there.
You already have a really nice puree.
So, right now we're just thinning it out with a little bit liquid.
And then, what I want you to do is stir that in.
And then, what I want you to do is taste that.
So, let's give you that and that.
And let's take a taste.
Mm.
To me, this is-- Ooh.
It's amazing.
It's amazing.
[Steven] Ancho chili reminds me a little bit of tobacco.
I mean, you know, but in a good way.
That smokiness-- That richness.
[Steven] Yes, yes.
[Johnny] No, for sure.
We have this really nice piece of pork center.
[Steven] Okay.
[Johnny] So, this is a pork shoulder.
This is the center of the pork, the solid muscle.
Quarter inch slices are what I recommend.
All right, so now to the final step, and I'll start laying these out.
That really is gorgeous pork, Johnny.
Isn't this gorgeous?
Look at that.
I love it.
All right, you want to start hitting it with a little bit of the adobo?
[Steven] So, I'll start painting this with the adobo.
[Johnny] We'll put a little salt and pepper in there.
Pretty good job there.
[laughing] All right, so let's get our grill ready.
We just need a little bit of oil for our grill.
Here's how we oil our grill grate.
[Johnny] That's a beautiful contraption.
[Steven] An onion.
I know.
Isn't that great?
[Johnny] I'm usually burning my hand with the oil.
Made by a local grill master here.
[Johnny] Look at that.
Isn't that gorgeous?
We have a nice hot grill.
[Steven] Mhmm.
[Johnny] In Mexico, where, you know, a lot of our techniques come from, we do a lot of grilling really close to the charcoal.
Mexican cooking, we're cooking over the heat.
Okay.
We're cooking over the heat.
Directly over the heat.
[Johnny] Yup, directly over the heat, and that's what you want.
High heat.
Depending on how much heat you have, it'll take two to three minutes on each side.
[Steven] So, pretty quick?
[Johnny] All right, so we got a few minutes on each side.
Like I said, depending on how hot your grill is.
I mean, if you go a little thinner, you go a little thicker, all of those things that we love.
Nice char there.
Yeah, nice, little beautiful color.
[Steven] Yup.
[Johnny] Just got to pay attention.
We don't want to overcook our pork, right?
We want to just get it right.
Maybe, just past medium is where we like it.
You can see the adobo is nice and charred on there.
[Steven] Yup.
[Johnny] We're ready to come off the grill.
Johnny, why do you go into a wire rack like this?
[Johnny] Resting pork for me is very important.
Mhmm.
You want that muscle to relax a little bit.
You want it off the bottom.
You want it to get some air underneath it and circulate.
That's right.
So, the bottom stays crusty, it doesn't get soggy.
[Johnny] Yup.
Okay, doesn't that look beautiful?
Wow, look at that beautiful color on that pork.
Okay, so we're going to heat up our tortillas, and these are the stone-ground corn tortillas.
These will go right on the hot flame.
I'll keep them on the center.
A corn tortilla that is stone-ground, is that rustic loaf of bread that you enjoy?
Yes.
Versus, a sliced piece of white bread.
This is that rustic preparation.
You don't have to use your hands.
Right?
But, I mean, I'm kind of used to it.
[Steven] Look, we do have tongs.
Oh, well, I can't help it.
It's a habit.
[Steven] Right.
Let's bring our condiments over.
We have a little pico de gallo.
All right.
Some onion, a little avocado.
What we do is we will julienne this right across.
You don't have to put this in taco, but how can we bring you to San Antonio and not make you a taco?
[laughing] We've made them everywhere.
And now, you've made them on the set of Planet Barbecue.
I am truly honored.
[Johnny] Yes.
You can't have a proper taco without some garnish.
-All right.
-Pretty good.
-There we have it.
-Show me how to do it.
[Johnny] Give you that and then, try to get a little bit of everything in there.
Mm.
Mm mm.
Mm.
[Johnny] Great.
Wow.
I feel like I'm eating a whole civilization in this taco.
The corn tortilla is amazing.
The pork, tender, flavorful, spicy, but not hot.
Right, not hot.
You know what I mean?
I mean, some people will probably add a few more pequin, right?
[laughing] But, I think this is perfect for me.
And then, the-- But, the cilantro, the pico de gallo.
[Steven] The crunch of the pico de gallo.
Johnny, thank you so much not only for coming on Planet Barbecue, but for all you do for San Antonio.
Gracias.
Thank you so much, Steven.
Now, back to the tacos.
Yes.
[announcer] For recipes, books, and more live fire cooking, visit StevenRaichlen.com.
You can also follow Steven Raichlen on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
Steven Raichlen's "Planet Barbecue" was made possible by... [narrator 1] This is the Big Green Egg, where fire and flavor come together.
You can roast, bake, and sear with the versatility of a grill, oven, and barbecue smoker combined.
Locate a dealer at BigGreenEgg.com.
[narrator 2] Fire Magic, combining style with the versatility to sear, smoke, rotisserie cook, and charcoal grill.
Crafted in America for over 80 years.
[music] Shun Cutlery handcrafted in Japan.
[narrator 3] Father's Cooker, multi-fuel, multifunction.
[narrator 3] Argentine Beef proudly supports "Planet Barbecue."
[narrator 4] Truly wireless temperature starts with Maverick.
[announcer] And by the following: UNESCO designated San-- Say it again, sorry.
Thanks to his tireless efforts, in 2017-- Boy, it's a good thing you haven't accomplished anything more, we wouldn't have time for the segment.
I think we might be out of propane in this guy.
Few Americans had heard of Salsa Macha.
Macha, not macha.
Whoo.
Got warm under there.
And kind of grabbed it and-- [Matt] Steven, you're kinda talking like you're-- [Johnny laughing] He wants to get the tacos, man.
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