Entree: Mexico – Chiapas – Puerco en Adobo (Pork braised in a smoky, tangy red chile and vinegar adobo sauce)

Serving Size: 6

Approximate Time

Prep 40 min

Cook 2 hrs

Additional 30 min

Total 3 hrs 10 min

Ingredients

- 2 lb (900 g) pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
- 4 dried guajillo chiles, approx. 0.6 oz (18 g), stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chiles, approx. 0.5 oz (14 g), stemmed and seeded
- 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water (for soaking chiles)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) white vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice
- 4 cloves (12 g) garlic
- 1 tsp (2 g) ground cumin
- 1 tsp (1 g) Mexican oregano, crushed
- 1/4 tsp (0.5 g) ground cloves
- 1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp (15 g) achiote paste (optional, for color)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil or lard
- 1 medium (150 g) white onion, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup (240 ml) low-sodium chicken broth or water (as needed for braising)
- Fresh cilantro and warm corn tortillas for serving

Instructions

1. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat 20–30 seconds per side until fragrant but not burned. Remove stems and seeds, then place chiles in a bowl and cover with 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water; soak 15 minutes until softened. Reserve 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the soaking liquid.
2. In a blender, combine soaked chiles, reserved soaking liquid, white vinegar, orange juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, ground cloves, achiote paste (if using), 1 tsp (5 g) salt and 1/2 tsp (2 g) pepper. Blend to a smooth sauce, adding a little water if necessary to reach a pourable consistency.
3. Pat the pork cubes dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, pour the adobo sauce over the pork, toss to coat, and let marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
4. Heat the vegetable oil or lard in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the pork in batches, turning to color all sides, about 5–7 minutes per batch. Transfer browned pork to a plate.
5. Reduce heat to medium, add the sliced onion to the pot and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Return all pork to the pot, pour remaining adobo sauce over, add bay leaves and 1 cup (240 ml) chicken broth or water to just come partway up the meat.
6. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and braise gently until pork is very tender, about 1.5–2 hours. Check once or twice and add a splash of water or broth if sauce reduces too much.
7. When pork is tender, remove lid and increase heat to medium to reduce and thicken the sauce for 10–15 minutes if desired. Adjust salt to taste.
8. Serve Puerco en Adobo with warm corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and thinly sliced onion, or spoon over rice with plenty of the adobo sauce.