Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons by Colleen Rush, Gary Wiviott

marinade-making baby step: tweaking your store-bought, bottled mojo criollo . You slightly doctored the mojo criollo in the first cook with olive oil and lemon—a simple twist that freshens the flavor of a commercial product. Here, you have a list of optional ingredients to customize the marinade to your taste. Pick one or two. Or three. Adding in seasonings like fresh jalapeño or whole garlic cloves brings another level of flavor to the bottled marinade. The WSM and offset recipe makes enough for four chicken halves and the kettle recipe for two chicken halves.
    WSM AND OFFSET
     
    MAKES 4½ CUPS
     
     
    1 lemon
    ½ cup olive oil
    1 (32-ounce) bottle mojo criollo,
    Goya or other brand
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
    KETTLE
     
    MAKES 2¼ CUPS
     
     
    ½ lemon
    ¼ cup olive oil
    2 cups mojo criollo, Goya or other brand
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
    OPTIONAL ADD-INS
     
    ½ medium white onion, quartered
    1 to 2 jalapeños, quartered (plus seeds if you want more heat)
    ½ tablespoon grated citrus (lemon, lime, or orange) rind
    1 teaspoon Louisiana-style or Mexican-style hot sauce, such as Texas Pete, Louisiana, or Búfalo
    ½ tablespoon Toasted Mexican Pepper Blend (page 18)
    2 unpeeled garlic cloves, smashed
    ½ chipotle in adobo, pureed
     
    Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a large bowl and add the rind. Add the olive oil and mojo criollo. Add one or more of the optional add-ins to amp up the flavor profile.
    For the WSM or offset, divide the marinade between two one-gallon zip-top bags.
    For the kettle, pour all the marinade into one zip-top bag.
    Add two chicken halves to each bag and press the air out of the bags and seal. Place the bags in a large bowl or on a rimmed baking sheet. Allow the chicken to marinate for 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator, turning the bags once or twice to redistribute the marinade.
DIY MOJO CRIOLLO
     
    Using a commercial mojo criollo is easier—which is what you want for the first cook—but you’ll never go back to the bottle once you’ve used this homemade version. Look for sour orange juice (a. k. a. bitter orange, Seville orange, or bigarade orange juice) in Mexican markets. It’s called naranja ácida, naranja agria , or naranja amarga . In season, you might find fresh sour oranges in Southeast Asian markets. The WSM and offset recipe makes enough for four chicken halves and the kettle recipe for two chicken halves.
    WSM AND OFFSET
     
    MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS
     
     
    2½ cups canola oil
2 garlic heads, peeled and crushed
2 medium white onions, sliced
¾ cup sour orange juice (or½ cup orange
juice plus ¼ cup lime juice)
¼ cup water
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon grated orange rind (optional)
    KETTLE
     
    MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
     
     
    1¼ cups canola oil
1 garlic head, peeled and crushed
1 medium white onion, sliced
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sour orange juice (or
¼ cup orange juice + 2 tablespoons lime juice)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
½ tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon grated orange rind (optional)
    Heat the canola oil over medium heat in a saucepan. When the oil is warmed, approximately 2 minutes, add the garlic and onion to the saucepan. Cook until fragrant (not browned), about 30 seconds. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the oil to cool, 5 minutes. Stir in the juice, water, vinegar, and spices. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and allow it to boil for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the marinade cool to room temperature. Pour the mixture into a blender. Blend until smooth.
    For the WSM or offset, divide the marinade between two one-gallon zip-top bags.
    For the kettle, pour all the marinade into one