taco rollo

I loved the delicious little tacos at barrio filled with pork shoulder braised with ancho chillis and golden rasins. Haven't seen these savory snacks in a while .. so I figured i'd take a stab at re-creating this at home.

braised pork shoulder tacos 

for the pork

pork shoulder (typically come between 4-6 lbs)

2 tablespoons chipotle chilis in adobe (including peppers and sauce)

1 28oz can of whole tomatos

1 cup golden raisins

4 cups chicken broth

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

for the tacos

small tortillas (corn or flour)

chopped cilantro

chopped red onion

sliced red cabbage

lime wedges

guacamole or sliced avocado

Boil water. Pour about 2 cups of the boiling water over the golden raisins in a medium sized bowl and let the raisins plumpen. 

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat a few drizzles of oil over med-high heat. While the pot is heating, season the pork shoulder with some salt and pepper. Brown all sides of the pork shoulder (until golden brown), and remove from the heat. Add one more drizzle of oil and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic and saute until fragrant (about 4 minutes, be careful not to burn the garlic).

Add the pork shoulder, chicken broth, chipotle chiles in adobo, raisins (with about 1 cup of the liquid), and both the juice of the canned tomatos and the actual tomatos (crushing and breaking the tomatos down in your hand over the pot, before you add them in). Make sure that the pork shoulder is at least half way emersed in liquid. If it is not, just add more of the raisin liquid or some extra chicken broth. Bring this all to a boil, place a lid over the pot and put it into the oven at 375 degrees.

The pork should cook for about 4 hours (until falling off the bone). Check on the pork every hour or so to baste the pork with liquid or flip the pork shoulder to keep everything moist.

When the pork is done, remove it from the oven and place on a stove top. Take 2 forks and slowly pull a part the tender meat and remove the bone. There should be enough liquid (about 2 cups or less) to keep the pork moist and create a nice sauce. If there is too much liquid, you can remove this with a ladle until you have a nice consistency. The pork can be served right away to make tacos or left to simmer a bit more with the sauce until you're ready.

This makes quite a bit pork .. so it's perfect for a dinner party.

posole rojo

The rich blend of chipotle chiles, braised pork and earthy hominy contrasted perfectly with the freshness of the fresh radish, lime, cilantro and red cabbage garnishes.

posole rojo

for the stew

5 lbs of bone in shoulder pork, cut into 4-5 pieces

1 tbl vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped course

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can of stewed tomatos, 14 oz can, sliced

1/2 can of chipotle chiles in adobo, half the sauce and half the chiles

1 tsp dried oregano

6 cups chicken broth

1 large can of hominy (28 oz)

for the garnishes

2 limes, cut into quarters

1/4 red cabbage, sliced thinly

1 small onion, chopped finely

cilantro, roughly chopped

5 radishes, sliced thinly

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat a large pot to medium high, add vegetable oil and onions. Stir frequently until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Add the pork, and brown all sides. Once browned, add tomatos, broth, oregano, and chipotle chiles. Bring to a boil  then cover with a lid and place in the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender, about 3-4 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven, remove the meat from the pot and shred the pork until smaller chunks (not too shredded). Return the pork to the pot, add the hominy and simmer for another 30-45 minutes until all of the flavors have melded together.

Serve with garnishes.