Mexican🥩 Meat

Pollo Asado: Traditional Grilled Chicken & Texas Style Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce

Name: Pollo Asado: Traditional Grilled Chicken & Texas Style Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 whole chicken; ~3 tbsp margarine (such as Parkay); ~2 tbsp all-purpose seasoning blend (WOW); ~2 tbsp all-purpose seasoning blend (BOOM); 3 cups ketchup; 2 cloves garlic cloves; ¼ cups onion, diced; 2 habanero peppers; 1 tbsp ghee; 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; ½ cup apple cider vinegar; 4½ tbsp apple jelly; 1 tbsp guajillo chili powder; 1 tbsp ancho chili powder; 2 tsp fine black pepper; ½ tsp cumin; 2 tsp kosher salt; 10 oz apple juice; 1 cup water; 1 cup brown sugar; 2 tbsp honey; ~2 tbsp butter; ~4-5 lb charcoal

⏱ 85 min

This recipe demonstrates two methods for preparing classic Mexican pollo asado. The first is the traditional approach—grilling the chicken directly over charcoal to develop natural juiciness. The second adds a Texas twist with a homemade sweet heat apple-habanero barbecue sauce. Both methods use simple seasoning and low-and-slow grilling to achieve perfectly moist results.

Adapted from a video by ArnieTex

Two Recipes for POLLO ASADO: Traditional Mexican Grilled Chicken & Texas Style Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce

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Ingredients

whole chicken2
margarine (such as Parkay)for coating the chicken~3 tbspest.
all-purpose seasoning blend (WOW)contains 16 mesh black pepper, chili powder and paprika~2 tbspest.
all-purpose seasoning blend (BOOM)for extra flavor~2 tbspest.
ketchup3 cups
garlic cloves2 cloves
onion, diced¼ cups
habanero peppers2

Steps

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1
Prepare the chicken by removing the neck, scoring along the keel bone centerline, tapping with the knife handle to break it, and carefully removing the backbone. Trim excess fat and tail as desired, and pull skin back to expose the breast and thigh areas.
2
Set up the grill by spreading charcoal, lighting the fire, placing the grate, and opening vents to allow temperature to stabilize to approximately 300–375°F.
3
Season the chicken by spreading margarine evenly on both halves, including under the skin. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then coat both sides generously with the seasoning blend, ensuring complete coverage.
4
Clean the grill grate by rubbing it with a cut onion.
5
Place the seasoned chicken halves on the grill with breasts facing away from the center of the fire and legs over the hottest area. Grill directly over coals for about 1 hour, keeping the lid closed for the last 20 minutes.
6
Prepare the barbecue sauce by melting ghee in a pot and sautéing garlic and diced onion until soft. Add habanero peppers carefully, avoiding inhalation of the fumes.
7
Build the sauce by adding ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, apple jelly, guajillo powder, ancho chili powder, black pepper, cumin, and kosher salt in order. Stir to combine.
8
Blend the sauce by turning off heat and using an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Add another cup of water if you prefer a thinner consistency.
9
Finish the sauce by adding packed brown sugar and honey. Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust, adding more apple jelly if needed. Pour into mason jars for storage.
10
Check chicken temperature after 1 hour: legs should reach 170–173°F and breasts around 158–160°F.
11
Flip one chicken half and brush the sweet heat apple-habanero sauce on the underside. Brush the other half with butter for color. Let sit for 3–4 minutes.
12
Flip the sauced chicken back and brush sauce on the other half. Grill for another 5 minutes.
13
Remove the chicken from the grill and place on a cutting board to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Pollo Asado: Traditional Grilled Chicken & Texas Style Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

Steps

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