Smoky Pork Shoulder With Chile Paste Recipes

BRAISED PORK IN RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• 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.

LIME AND CHILE ROASTED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• 1. Pulse the garlic, scallions, coriander, chipotle chile, cumin, 2 tablespoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor or mini-chopper to make a thick paste. If the butcher didn't trim the fat cap on the pork shoulder, trim off all but a thin layer of fat. Make deep incisions with a paring knife, at about 2-inch intervals, all over the meat. Rub the garlic and spice mixture into and all over the meat.
• 2. Combine the lime zest and juice, orange juice, adobo sauce, olive oil, and cinnamon in a nonreactive stainless steel or glass bowl. Add the meat, cover tightly with plastic wrap, making sure the meat is submerged. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up 2 days. Bring to room temperature about 1 hour before roasting.
• 3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the pork, fat-side up, in a large Dutch oven. Roast the meat, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add the marinade to the pot and cover with the lid. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and roast for 2 hours more. Uncover and continue to cook, basting occasionally, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the meat registers 190 degrees F and the meat is a rich burnished brown, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Set aside on a cutting board to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
• 4. For the sauce: Strain the pan drippings through a fine mesh sieve into a gravy separator and discard all excess fat. In a small saucepan, mix the pan drippings with 1/2 cup water and bring to a vigorous boil. Slice the meat and serve with the pan drippings.