Carne Adovada (New Mexican Red Chile Pork)
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Pot/Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 lb boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1.5-inch chunks
- 4 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 4 pasilla or New Mexico chiles (or a combination of both), stems and seeds removed
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- 1-3 chipotle chipotles in adobo sauce, (see notes)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pat the pork dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and season with salt and pepper. Set aside while you make the sauce.
Make the sauce:
- In a small saucepan, place the dried chiles and broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to low. With a spoon, push the dried chiles down to make sure they are completely submerged in the broth. Cover and simmer until the chiles become soft, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover the pot and allow to cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the chiles and about half of their liquid to a blender. Add the chipotles in adobo sauce plus some extra adobo sauce (see notes), honey, white wine vinegar, garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano, ground cloves and salt into the blender and process at high speed for about 2 minutes or until smooth. Add the remaining cooking liquid and continue to blend until the sauce becomes smooth.
If cooking in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 325º F.
Cook the pork:
- In a heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sear the pork stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes or until golden brown. Brown the pork in batches to prevent overcrowding the pot. Add additional oil, if needed. Remove the meat from the pot and transfer to a bowl.
- Add the onions to the pot and sauté, stirring frequently until they become tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour the chiles sauce into the pot and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the pork to the pot with any collected juices. Stir to evenly coat the pork with the sauce. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Reduce the heat to low. Cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2 to 2.5 hours or until the pork becomes fork tender.
Oven Instructions:
- Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook for about 2 to 2.5 hours or until the pork becomes fork tender. Remove from the oven, uncover and carefully stir to combine.
- The sauce should be thick (almost as thick as ketchup). If the sauce is thin, place the pot on the stove and simmer over medium-low heat uncovered, stirring to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until reduced to the desired consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with rice and/or corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and lime wedges.
Notes
-
Rinse the dried chiles to remove any dirt.
-
Pork: Well-marbled pork shoulder or pork butt (sometimes labeled Boston butt) is essential for this recipe. I prefer buying boneless but bone-in can be used. Simply cut the meat off the bone
-
Dried Red Chile Peppers: Another essential ingredient that creates the most flavorful sauce. You can use one type of dried chiles or a combination for a more complex flavor. This recipe cannot be made with chili powder. More details within the post.
- To Make on the Instant Pot: Follow the recipe and cook on high pressure for about 60 minutes with a 15 minutes of natural release
- To Make on a Slow Cooker: For best results sear the pork before adding it to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the pork is tender.
-
Making Ahead: Flavors improve after a day in the fridge.
-
Storing: Cool the pork stew completely. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It freezes well.
Nutrition
Calories: 87 kcal, Carbohydrates: 10 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 2 mg, Sodium: 1070 mg, Potassium: 92 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 7 g, Vitamin A: 117 IU, Vitamin C: 3 mg, Calcium: 35 mg, Iron: 1 mg
