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An oval bowl filled with braised pork in red chile sauce with a spoon resting on the side and a stack of tortillas and dried peppers on the side.
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5 / 6 votes

Braised Pork in Red Chile Sauce

This braised pork in red chile sauce is made by slowly cooking pork butt in a smoky, spicy homemade ancho chile sauce. You'll want to have plenty of tortillas on hand to soak up that sauce.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 5 to 6 servings
Calories: 294

Ingredients

  • 5 or 6 dried pulla, negro, or guajillo chiles, seeded
  • 1 dried ancho chile, seeded
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 pound plum tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds pork butt, cut into 2-inch [5-cm] pieces
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 medium (1 cup) onion, diced
  • Corn or flour tortillas and black beans, for serving
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Have ready a medium bowl filled with very hot water. In a cast-iron skillet or grill over medium-high heat, toast the chiles until nice and smoky, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Place the chiles in the bowl of hot water to rehydrate for 5 minutes. Drain the chiles.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: Reserve the chile soaking water and use it in place of the water called for in steps 2 and 6.

  • In a blender, combine the rehydrated chiles with the garlic, cumin, and 1 cup water. Blitz until smooth, then pour the chile paste into a bowl.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: There's no need to clean the blender before using it later for the tomatoes.

  • On the cast-iron skillet or grill used for toasting the chiles, roast the tomatoes, rotating occasionally, until nice and charred in some places, 7 to 10 minutes. Toss the grilled tomatoes into the blender and blitz until smooth.
  • In a Dutch oven or high-sided sauté pan with a lid over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the pork, season with the salt, and cook, stirring often, until the meat is browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to a plate, leaving behind the fat in the pan.
  • Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chile paste. Add the pork and stir to coat.
  • Pour in the pureed tomatoes and 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, turn the heat to low, and braise the pork until tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
  • Serve the pork in chile sauce with warm tortillas and black beans.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 1526mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g