Smokey Lew
Head Chef
Tried out some Ritter's Sweet Orange rub and some Yucatan Rojo spice on a couple of yard birds Saturday. I use Ritter's Sweet Apple and Sweet Peach rub on chickens all the time, they're my favorites, but never tried their Sweet Orange before.
I added the Yucatan Rojo spice as an impulse to a list of spices I already had in hand and was placing on the World Spice Merchants website. This is an Annatto based seasoning that is used in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. It can be used as a dry rub or mixed with vinegar and lime or orange juice to make a paste for slathering onto meat before grilling or baking. The authentic way is to bake the meat in banana leaves after the paste is put on. May try that next time.
I rubbed the chickens liberally with the rub making sure to get it under the skin on the breasts and thighs. Then I let them rest in the fridge for an hour before grilling on indirect heat. It took about an hour and a quarter to get both chickens up to 170 degrees. I keep the rear end of the birds pointing towards the coals so the dark meat gets done at the same time as the breast meat.
The Yucatan Rojo seasoned chicken is on the left and the Sweet Orange rubbed chicken is on the right.
The Sweet Orange chicken had a nice mild orange flavor and it was nice and juicy. The Yucatan Rojo bird had a very unusual taste. I liked it but my wife felt the flavor was to overpowering. She tends to like things she's used to and had a problem with the two differing flavors on the same plate. Sorry the plated picture came out a bit blurry.
The Yucatan Rojo seasoning is a blend of Annatto, Tellicherry Black Pepper, Mexican Oregano, Coriander, Cumin, Cloves, Cassia, and Allspice. You can see why it's flavor is very unique.
Sweet Orange half breast is on the left and the Yucatan Rojo is right of it.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
I added the Yucatan Rojo spice as an impulse to a list of spices I already had in hand and was placing on the World Spice Merchants website. This is an Annatto based seasoning that is used in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. It can be used as a dry rub or mixed with vinegar and lime or orange juice to make a paste for slathering onto meat before grilling or baking. The authentic way is to bake the meat in banana leaves after the paste is put on. May try that next time.
I rubbed the chickens liberally with the rub making sure to get it under the skin on the breasts and thighs. Then I let them rest in the fridge for an hour before grilling on indirect heat. It took about an hour and a quarter to get both chickens up to 170 degrees. I keep the rear end of the birds pointing towards the coals so the dark meat gets done at the same time as the breast meat.
The Yucatan Rojo seasoned chicken is on the left and the Sweet Orange rubbed chicken is on the right.
The Sweet Orange chicken had a nice mild orange flavor and it was nice and juicy. The Yucatan Rojo bird had a very unusual taste. I liked it but my wife felt the flavor was to overpowering. She tends to like things she's used to and had a problem with the two differing flavors on the same plate. Sorry the plated picture came out a bit blurry.
The Yucatan Rojo seasoning is a blend of Annatto, Tellicherry Black Pepper, Mexican Oregano, Coriander, Cumin, Cloves, Cassia, and Allspice. You can see why it's flavor is very unique.
Sweet Orange half breast is on the left and the Yucatan Rojo is right of it.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
