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5.0 from 18 votes

Braised Pork in Red Chile Sauce

This braised pork in red chile sauce is made by slowly cooking pork butt in a smoky, spicy homemade ancho chile sauce. You'll want to have plenty of tortillas on hand to soak up that sauce.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
1 hr mins
Total Time
2 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 5 to 6 servings
Calories: 294 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 5 or 6 dried pulla, negro, or guajillo chiles seeded
  • 1 dried ancho chile seeded
  • 4 garlic cloves peeled
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 pound plum tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds Pork butt cut into 2-inch [5-cm] pieces
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 medium (1 cup) onion diced
  • Corn or flour tortillas and black beans for serving

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Have ready a medium bowl filled with very hot water. In a cast-iron skillet or grill over medium-high heat, toast the chiles until nice and smoky, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Place the chiles in the bowl of hot water to rehydrate for 5 minutes. Drain the chiles.☞ TESTER TIP: Reserve the chile soaking water and use it in place of the water called for in steps 2 and 6.
  2. In a blender, combine the rehydrated chiles with the garlic, cumin, and 1 cup water. Blitz until smooth, then pour the chile paste into a bowl.☞ TESTER TIP: There's no need to clean the blender before using it later for the tomatoes.
  3. On the cast-iron skillet or grill used for toasting the chiles, roast the tomatoes, rotating occasionally, until nice and charred in some places, 7 to 10 minutes. Toss the grilled tomatoes into the blender and blitz until smooth.
  4. In a Dutch oven or high-sided sauté pan with a lid over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the pork, season with the salt, and cook, stirring often, until the meat is browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to a plate, leaving behind the fat in the pan.
  5. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chile paste. Add the pork and stir to coat.
  6. Pour in the pureed tomatoes and 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, turn the heat to low, and braise the pork until tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
  7. Serve the pork in chile sauce with warm tortillas and black beans.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1portion Calories 294kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 6g (2%) Protein 35g (70%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Monounsaturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 109mg (36%) Sodium 1526mg (64%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 3g (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 5to 6 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 294

% Daily Value*

Serving 1portion
Calories 294kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Protein 35g 70%
Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 109mg 36%
Sodium 1526mg 64%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 3g 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.