Shredded Pork Stew with Smoky Chipotle Tomato Sauce

Summary

Yield6
SourceReprinted with permission from Simply Mexican by Lourdes Castro, copyright © 2009.
Prep Time hours
Main IngredientPork
MealSoups + Stews

Description

This is an incredibly satisfying stew that gets better as it ages, so think about making extra to keep as leftovers. The smoky chipotles add a depth of flavor along with a spicy heat. To tame the heat, you can reduce the number of chipotles or serve the stew with Mexican crema. 

Reprinted with permission from Simply Mexican by Lourdes Castro, copyright © 2009. Published by Ten Speed Press.

Photo credit: Lucy Schaeffer © 2009

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pork shoulder
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 clv garlic, 2 crushed and 1 chopped
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 lb mexican chorizo, homemade or store-bought, casing removed
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 t salt
  • 1.5 lb (about 7) plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, cored, and sliced
  • 2 canned chipotle chiles, chopped
  • 0.25 c adobo sauce from canned chipotles
  • 0.5 t dried oregano
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem
  • 2 sprigs fresh marjoram, leaves removed from stem
  • GARNISH
  • 6 sprigs cilantro
  • tortilla chips
  • mexican crema, homemade or store-bought

Instructions

Prepare the Meat
Put the pork in a saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the meat by 1 inch. Add the bay leaves and crushed garlic. Bring to a boil and skim off the grayish foam that rises to the top during the first few minutes. Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, partially covered, or until the pork is tender.
Allow the pork to cool in the stock, then drain, reserving 1 cup of the stock. Shred the pork by pulling apart the fibers with your fingers. Set aside.

Prepare the Chorizo
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chorizo to the pan and cook, breaking it apart as you stir, until it achieves a golden brown color and begins to render its fat. (Don’t worry if some of the chorizo sticks to the bottom of the pan.) Using a slotted spoon, remove the chorizo from the pan and set it aside.   

Brown the Main Ingredients
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the unwashed pan and set it over medium heat. Add the onion and remaining chopped garlic and sauté until the onion begins to get limp and translucent, 3 minutes. Add the shredded pork, season with the salt, and continue sautéing for 3 more minutes. Deglaze the pan by pouring in a couple of tablespoons of the reserved pork stock and scraping the bottom of the pan with a heatproof silicone spatula.

Finish the Stew
Add the chorizo, tomatoes, chipotles, adobo from canned chipotles, oregano, thyme leaves, and marjoram leaves to the pan. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour in the remaining reserved pork stock and continue simmering, uncovered, for 25 minutes.

Garnish and Serve
Pour the finished stew into a large shallow bowl and garnish sprigs of cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips and Mexican crema.

Notes

INGREDIENTS
Pork
You need a fatty cut of meat for this recipe, so if you cannot find shoulder, the only other cut to use is pork butt. A lean cut will result in tough and dry pork.
You can easily substitute beef flank steak for the pork. The beef only needs to be simmered for 30 minutes, but cooks the same as the pork after that.

Canned Chipotle Chiles
Look for the chipotles that are packed in adobo sauce. Chipotles are smoked jalapeños and have the heat of a jalapeño, but you can remove the seeds found in the chile if you want to reduce the heat.

ADVANCE PREPARATION
This dish improves with age as its flavors really blend. You can make this recipe up to 1 day in advance.