Carne Adovada
User Reviews
5
Carne Adovada
Description
In this Carne Adovada recipe, trimmed pork butt is seasoned and set aside while a sauce is prepared by simmering dried ancho and pasilla chiles in chicken broth until softened. The chiles and part of their cooking liquid are blended with chipotle peppers in adobo, honey, white wine vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, ground cloves, and salt to form a smooth, richly flavored base. This sauce is combined with the pork pieces, which are then slow-cooked either on the stovetop or in the oven at low temperature, allowing the meat to absorb the smoky, mildly spicy sauce while becoming tender and juicy.
The balance of dried chiles, chipotle heat, and aromatic seasonings imparts complex savory and smoky notes to the pork. This dish is often served as a main course with rice, beans, or tortillas. Chipotle amount can be adjusted for preferred spice level.
The recipe advises adding between one and three whole chipotle chiles in adobo sauce depending on desired heat and spice, and notes that it can be cooked either in the oven or on the stove top, allowing flexibility. This approach results in a versatile, deeply flavored pork dish.
Ingredients
- 3 lb pork butt trimmed and cut into 1.5-inch chunks, boneless, or shoulder
- 4 ancho chile stems and seeds removed, dried
- 4 Pasilla chile stems and seeds removed, or New Mexico chile, or a combination of both
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- 1-3 chipotle in adobo sauce see notes
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 6 garlic peeled and roughly chopped, cloves
- 1 tbsp cumin ground
- 2 tsp oregano dried, Mexican
- ⅛ tsp cloves ground
- 2 tsp salt sea salt
- 1 onion finely chopped, small
- 2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 bay leaf
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pat the pork dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and season with salt and pepper. Set aside while you make the sauce.
Make the sauce:
- In a small saucepan, place the dried chiles and broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to low. With a spoon, push the dried chiles down to make sure they are completely submerged in the broth. Cover and simmer until the chiles become soft, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover the pot and allow to cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the chiles and about half of their liquid to a blender. Add the chipotles in adobo sauce plus some extra adobo sauce (see notes), honey, white wine vinegar, garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano, ground cloves and salt into the blender and process at high speed for about 2 minutes or until smooth. Add the remaining cooking liquid and continue to blend until the sauce becomes smooth.
If cooking in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 325º F.
Cook the pork:
- In a heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sear the pork stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes or until golden brown. Brown the pork in batches to prevent overcrowding the pot. Add additional oil, if needed. Remove the meat from the pot and transfer to a bowl.
- Add the onions to the pot and sauté, stirring frequently until they become tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour the chiles sauce into the pot and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the pork to the pot with any collected juices. Stir to evenly coat the pork with the sauce. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Reduce the heat to low. Cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2 to 2.5 hours or until the pork becomes fork tender.
Oven Instructions:
- Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook for about 2 to 2.5 hours or until the pork becomes fork tender. Remove from the oven, uncover and carefully stir to combine.
- The sauce should be thick (almost as thick as ketchup). If the sauce is thin, place the pot on the stove and simmer over medium-low heat uncovered, stirring to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until reduced to the desired consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with rice and/or corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and lime wedges.
Notes
- Adjust the number of chipotle chiles and amount of adobo sauce from 1 to 3 pieces/tablespoons based on your preferred spice level.
- This dish can be cooked either on the stove top or baked in the oven at 325ºF, providing flexible cooking options.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 87 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 87kcal | 4% |
| Carbohydrates | 10g | 3% |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
| Fat | 5g | 8% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Cholesterol | 2mg | 1% |
| Sodium | 1070mg | 45% |
| Potassium | 92mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 117IU | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 3mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 35mg | 4% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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