Mexican-style braised pork shoulder

From Burden's Landing

Lazily adapted the following recipe for the 1.5 pounds of pork shoulder we had:

1. Preheat oven somewhere between 325 and 350 degrees.

2. Combine the following as a spice rub:

  • 2 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 Tbsp tsp green New Mexican chile powder (hot)
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3. Finely mince a habañero pepper (use gloves!), including ribs & seeds. Finely mince 3 to 4 medium cloves of garlic.

4. Dice half a large onion or 1 medium onion.

5. Husk & wash about a half-pound of tomatillos and halve them lengthwise.

6. Rub all sides of the pork shoulder liberally with the spice rub. I used no more than half for the 1.5-lb piece we had. The above mixture is supposedly about right for a 3- to 4-lb cut, though.

7. Drizzle oil (I used grapeseed for its reputed performance in high-heat cooking) over surface of dutch oven and heat on high until it shimmers (tilt pan to look for the shimmer effect when oil cascades over bottom surface). Sear meat on all sides, using tongs to balance meat on its narrow ends. This requires several minutes per side. If using a non-nonstick surface (e.g., uncoated stainless steel or Pyrex), the meat should not resist being turned if a sufficient sear has occurred.

8. Set seared meat on plate. Lower heat.

9. Add minced garlic and habañero to the oil. Stir-fry for a few seconds. Add diced onions and season with salt. Stir-fry onions until semi-translucent. If you're patient, let them caramelize a little. Turn the heat off.

10. Nestle the tomatillo halves among the sauteed onion. Rest the pork on top, adding any juices that may have accumulated on the plate. Pour in 1 to 2 cups of homemade chicken stock (avoid pouring the stock over the pork, as this could wash away the spices, which -- for now -- are better left on the surface of the pork than swimming in the juices). Cover the dutch oven, and put in the preheated oven.

11. Let braise for about 2 hours, or until fork tender. (Test by attempting to pull pork apart with a pair of forks.)

12. Pull apart meat with fork and stir into the porky and delicious tomatillo sauce at the bottom of the dutch oven.

13. Enjoy pork mixture in warmed corn tortillas topped with queso fresco, diced red onion, fresh tomato salsa, and a squeeze of lime.

Notes

  • If you are using a pork shoulder that has been tied with twine or encased in netting, remove these ties. Shape is not important, since the pork is going to be shredded. Also, removing the ties increases the surface area you can both rub with the spice mixture and sear before braising.

See Also