Chef critique
Oaxacan Chile-Grilled Pork & Corn
A cohesive and flavorful Oaxacan-inspired grilled meal with clear instructions, but it suffers from significant under-seasoning and a minor practical issue with grilling the onions.
Score: 7/10
Suggested fixes
- Increase the total kosher salt to at least 2.5 teaspoons. Allocate 1.25 to 1.5 teaspoons to the pork rub, and 1 to 1.5 teaspoons to the vegetable coating.
- In step 1, specify cutting the red onion into thick wedges 'with the root end intact' so they hold together on the grill.
- Consider adding a pinch of the ancho chile powder (or adding cotija cheese to the ingredients) to sprinkle over the mayonnaise-coated corn to enhance the elote-style presentation.
Issues
- high / flavor: The recipe calls for just 1 teaspoon of kosher salt total for 1 lb of pork and over 1.5 lbs of vegetables. The pork needs roughly 1.25 to 1.5 teaspoons to hit a 1.25% salinity by weight, and the vegetables need roughly 1 to 1.5 teaspoons to reach 1% salinity. 1/4 teaspoon for all the vegetables will leave them very bland.
- low / cookability: The instructions call to cut the red onion into thick wedges before grilling, but do not specify leaving the root end intact. Without the root to hold them together, onion wedges will separate and fall through the grill grates.
Strengths
- Excellent, efficient use of the grill for both the main protein and all vegetable components.
- Instruction steps consistently include precise amounts for every ingredient.
- Prep work is logically grouped in the first step.
- Flavor profile is balanced, incorporating smoky, sweet, and acidic elements.