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Chef critique

Cuban Mojo Drumsticks with Sweet Corn Slaw

The recipe features a solid conceptual pairing and strong grilling techniques, but the slaw instructions will yield a dry, wilted side dish due to insufficient dressing and overnight marination of delicate herbs.

Score: 7/10

Suggested fixes

  • Increase the olive oil in the slaw to 2 or 3 tablespoons and increase the salt slightly to adequately dress the vegetables.
  • Instruct the cook to prep the cilantro but keep it separate, tossing it into the slaw at the park right before serving.
  • Increase the lime quantity in the ingredient list to 3 to provide extra wedges for serving.
  • Adjust the day-of time estimate to 60-70 minutes to account for the time required to light the charcoal.

Issues

  • medium / flavor: The slaw dressing uses only 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of 1 lime for approximately 5 cups of vegetables. This is not enough liquid, and the slaw will be dry. The seasoning (1/2 teaspoon kosher salt) is also quite low for that volume of raw vegetables.
  • medium / presentation: Adding chopped cilantro to the slaw the night before and letting it sit in an acidic lime dressing will cause the herbs to wilt, turn brown, and lose their fresh flavor.
  • low / ingredient_usage: Step 7 suggests adjusting the slaw with 'an extra squeeze of lime if desired,' but the ingredient list only calls for 2 limes, both of which are fully used in previous steps (1 for the slaw, 1 for the marinade).
  • low / timing: The stated '50 minutes day-of' cook time is slightly underestimated. Lighting charcoal and waiting for it to ash over takes 15-20 minutes, followed by 30-35 minutes of grilling and 5 minutes of resting.

Strengths

  • Excellent food safety instructions regarding packing and transporting raw chicken in a cooler.
  • Proper two-zone grilling technique ensures the drumsticks cook through safely without the marinade burning.
  • Flavor profiles are complementary and appealing for a summer cookout.