Pork Braised In Guajillo Chile Sauce Recipes

PORK BRAISED IN GUAJILLO CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the pork in a heavy Dutch oven large enough to fit pork comfortably.
• Pour in enough cold water to cover the meat by about 2 inches.
• Add 2 tablespoons salt, bay leaf and bring to a boil.
• Boil for one hour, skimming foam off surface as necessary.
• Cut the stems off the guajillo chiles. Tap out the seeds.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
• Add half the chiles and toast them in the skillet, turning with tongs, until they crisp up a bit and change color, about 4 minutes.
• Lift out chiles and repeat with remaining chiles.
• Pour enough boiling water over the toasted chiles to cover them. Soak until completely softened, about 20 minutes. Drain well.
• Wipe out the skillet with paper towels, put the onion and tomatoes cut sides down in the skillet. Cook, turning the veggies as often as necessary, until tomatoes are blackened on all sides and the onions are blackened on both flat sides.
• After the pork cooks one hour, ladle off 2 cups of the cooking liquid and pour into blender. Add onions and puree until smooth. Add chiles and tomatoes and blend until smooth.
• Ladle off another 2 cups of the cooking liquid and set aside. Drain pork, discard remaining liquid, wipe out the pot.
• Set the pot over medium-low heat and add the oil or lard. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes.
• Pour the chili sauce into the pot slowly, stir well.
• Return the pork to a simmer, cover the pot and cook until tender, about 1 hour. While it cooks, there should be enough sauce to moisten the pork. If not, add reserved pork cooking liquid as needed.
• Serve hot over white rice or with flour tortillas.

FRIED CRISP PORK WITH CHILE-PEANUT SAUCE: CARNITAS CON SALSA GUAJILLO Y CACAHUATES

Steps:

• For the salsa: In a small saucepot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
• In a cast iron skillet, toast the chiles until they start to smoke and blister. Remove from the pan and place in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
• In the same cast iron skillet, toast the tomatillo, onion, and garlic until soft and they char a little.
• Put the soaked chiles, peanuts, onion, tomatillo, and garlic in a food processor with the chile water. Puree until smooth, and season with salt and pepper.
• For the carnitas: In a large stockpot, heat 2 1/2 cups of water with the thyme, oregano, white onion, garlic, and salt. When it comes to a boil add the diced pork butt and cook covered for 1 hour. Remove and drain.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat the lard. When lard is smoking, sear the pork to brown all sides. Remove and serve with warm tortillas, guajillo-peanut sauce, radishes, and shredded lettuce.

GUAJILLO SPICED PORK AND POTATOES (PUERCO Y PAPAS AL GUAJILLO)

Steps:

• Spread the potatoes over the bottom of a slow cooker and top with the pork.
• Set a medium (8 inch) skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, toast the chili pieces a few at a time, pressing them against the hot surface with a spatula until they are aromatic and lightened in color underneath - about 10 seconds per side. (If you see more than a whiff of smoke, they are burning). Transfer the toasted chilis to a blender jar.
• Add the tomatoes with their juice, garlic, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, a generous 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 ½ cups water. Blend until as smooth as possible. Strain the mixture through a medium mesh strainer directly into the slow cooker, over the meat and potatoes. Stir to mix thoroughly.
• Set the lid in place and slow cook on high for 6 hours.
• Gently stir the stew - the sauce may look slightly broken, but it will come together with gentle stirring. If the sauce seems too thick, stir in a little water. Taste, and add more salt, if needed.
• Serve in bowls, sprinkled with the cilantro and onion. A stack of warm corn tortillas is the perfect accompaniment.
• Variations:.
• Pork and Potatoes al Guajillo as a Soft Taco Filling:.
• Cook the dish as directed above, but cube the potatoes rather than leaving them in larger wedges. Coarsely shred the pork with two forks. Leave the sauce quite thick. Serve with a dozen warm tortillas for everyone to make soft tacos.