Jalisco Pork Recipes

JALISCO PORK

Steps:

• Pound pork evenly to 1/4-inch thickness (between plastic wrap is good).
• Blend paprika, chili powder, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt, and rub over all sides of pork.
• Rest meat for at least one hour, refrigerated.
• Cut pork into 3-4 serving pieces.
• Pan-fry meat in the oil on both sides, until cooked to your liking.
• Drain meat and season with additional salt (if desired) and lime.
• Serve on warm tortillas with salsa, guacamole, and sliced fresh chiles (if desired).

POZOLE ESTILO JALISCO (JALISCO-STYLE HOMINY)

Steps:

• Cut open cascabel chiles and remove seeds.
• Heat oil in small skillet over low heat; add chiles and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Place in bowl, cover with water and soak overnight.
• Before using, drain chiles and discard water; remove stems and remaining seeds.
• Place nixtamal in colander and rinse thoroughly.
• Place in Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot and add water.
• Slice one onion and add to pot with garlic cloves.
• Bring mixture to boil, cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours.
• While the corn is simmering, place tomatoes in pan of boiling water and cook 2 minutes.
• Drain and allow to cool, then slip the skins off.
• Place peeled tomatoes and chiles in blender,puree and set aside.
• Remove excess fat from pork and cut into large chunks.
• When nixtamal has cooked 1 1/2 hours, add pork, tomato-chile mixture and salt.
• Cover and simmer gently another 1 1/2 hours.
• Chop two remaining onions.
• To serve, ladle pozole into large soup bowls.
• Arrange lettuce, serrano chiles, lime wedges and oregano in separate bowls, and crisp tortillas in basket or bowl.
• Add garnishes to pozole and squeeze in lime juice as desired, serve with tortillas.

TAMALES DE PUERCO (RED PORK TAMALES)

Steps:

• Cut pork into 3 chunks and place in a large saucepan. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil; skim foam from surface. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove pork and let cool. Strain broth and reserve.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil while pork is cooking. Add tomatoes, arbol chiles, and guajillo chiles, and boil until chiles are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking water, and allow to cool.
• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup cooking water, chiles de arbol, guajillo chiles, and cornstarch in a blender; blend until smooth. Strain tomato sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.
• Beat lard with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Combine masa, 1 cup reserved pork broth, 1 tablespoon salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl and mix until smooth. Add masa mixture to lard and mix until it has a smooth cookie dough consistency. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, keep beating for a little longer.
• Shred cooled pork with 2 forks.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the tomato sauce and pork down the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, 1 over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.