Carne Adovada (Red Chile and Pork Stew)

Submitted by Stephanie Y.

"My aunt brought me a trunk load of dried red chiles and chile powder so I have been finding recipes to use them up. This was delicious a bit spicy so make sure you can take some heat before giving this one a try - or you might sub some of the New Mexico Chile Powder for California Chile powder. This makes great burritos with beans and sour cream."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 45mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 medium onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 3 1⁄2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, fat trimmed and meat cut into 1 1/2-in . cubes (butt)
• 1 cup ground red dried New Mexico chile
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (I replaced some of the broth with chicken boullion and water)
• 1 bay leaf

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy-bottomed, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer onions and garlic to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, cumin, and pepper. Add pork and toss to coat. Return pot to medium-high heat, add remaining 1 tablespoons oil, and, working in batches, lightly brown meat on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer meat to a separate bowl as you go.
3. Return onions and garlic to pot. Sprinkle with ground chiles and cook, stirring, 2 minutes (mixture will be thick- I added some of the broth at this point to keep the chile from burning). Add the rest of the broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of pot. Whirl sauce in a blender until smooth. Return sauce to pot and add bay leaf and reserved pork (I also added the pork bone).
4. 4. Cover pot, put in oven, and cook 1 hour. Set lid slightly ajar and cook until pork is fork-tender, about 1 hour more. Remove bay leaf and season with additional salt before serving.

Reviews

[Sean M.]

I made this yesterday with some slight alterations:<br/><br/>I made a half portion, as I only cook for my girlfriend and I. I couldn't find New Mexico Red Chilis (or powder), so I used ancho chili powder instead. I found this in the "premium" spice section at my grocery store (the glass jar spices). It took the whole bottle. If you make a full serving, you will need two of those bottles. I used Boston butt (pork shoulder) as the cut of meat. Lastly, I used an electric slow-cooker instead of the oven, cooking it for about 5 hours total while I did other things. <br/><br/>It was REALLY good. Served it up with some refried beans and corn tortillas. The pork was delectable. I think browning it with the onion and garlic juices before roasting it really adds to the flavor.. And I can't speak for New Mexico chilis, but the ancho chili powder gave it a very robust, smokey flavor. The one thing I will say, is that with the cut of meat I chose, it was really greasy. I would recommend skimming off the oil that rises to the top as it cooks. I plan on making this again soon. It was easy and so tasty.