I went ahead and made chicken and potato salad anyway, to rave reviews. One woman came up to me in broken English and told me the 'pollo ala brassa' was very, very good. I pressed her for some help with the flavors, and she insisted it was perfect.
"Doesn't it need more salt, though?" I asked.
"Yes, more salt," she said with a smile.
I marinated this time for about 4 hours, and it could have gone longer. I also substituted brandy for the white wine in Ed's recipe, and added a big pinch of oregano to the marinade. Also upped the salt by 50%, but it could have used a little bit more.
This time, I just grabbed an old food grate to elevate the coals up next to the food. Which allowed me to put the drip pan down on the bottom grate for better radiant heat. I also foiled off 2/3 of the coal grate to alter the air flow over the coals and food. Turned the top vent to move the heat over the food. Plain lump with no smoke wood.
Finished product, ready to rest:
I also made the spicy sauce that gummi pointed me to. Roasted the jalepenos first, which took away some of the heat and sweetened them up a bit. Paired with the mayo-and-lime sauce, it was really nice.
I'm thinking we should prevail upon Marty to make some kind of schwag for picnics and potlucks like this. Maybe a WKC badge on a little signpost that could sit on the table to let folks know why the food tastes so danged good. Or maybe a WKC nameplate where the cook could write a description of the food. Or maybe a WKC stamp with a portable ink pad so we can just stamp stunned diners on the forehead: "
Whap!! You've been WKCed!"