Community Pick
Pork Machaca (Tender Pulled Mexican Pork)

photo by DianaEatingRichly




- Ready In:
- 4hrs 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 7
- Serves:
-
10
ingredients
- 1 (4 -5 lb) pork butt (about 4-5 lbs, but up to 10 is fine too)
- 2 quarts water (enough to cover meat by about 2/3)
- 2 1⁄2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder (Knorr is my favorite)
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes or 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 20 whole garlic cloves (or 2 tbl. granulated, but fresh will work better)
- 4 whole jalapenos, more can be used for a spicier final dish (or 2 small cans diced green chiles, or 1 small can jalepenos-not pickled)
- 2 teaspoons oregano (dry leaf..never use ground!)
directions
- Combine all ingredients in a stockpot and simmer until fork tender-this can take from 3-4 hours.
- Can be made in a crock pot also-decrease liquid by about 1/2, bouillon powder by 1/3, and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or until tender as above).
- When tender, remove from heat and allow meat to cool in the broth until cool enough to handle (this will keep the meat moist).
- Shred (or "pull") either with forks or by hand.
- Place in storage container and add some of the broth to moisten; refrigerate until needed.
- Reheat either in microwave, or in saucepan; use a little of the juice to keep it moist.
- For the Mexican-flavored pot roast, don't shred-slice fairly thick (about 1/2"), and make a gravy by thickening some of the juice with either cornstarch or roux (sorry, you'll have to thicken by sight; tough to give an exact quantity for that); serve with plain steamed rice/boiled potatoes and a vegetable-broccoli and/or carrots come to mind first. Leftovers make great open-faced hot sandwiches.
- For soup, take broth and add some onions, carrots, celery, an extra bit of canned diced tomato (you can use almost anything for veggies depending on what you like/have on hand), some of the pork meat and posole (or hominy); simmer until tender and add shredded cabbage; cook another 15 minutes. Serve with hot tortillas and a salad for a complete meal.
- Can also be made as beef machaca by using bottom (outside) round, chuck, or brisket; replace chicken bouillon powder with beef.
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Reviews
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We really enjoyed this. The machaca was perfectly moist, and it even left a ton of broth that we can use in other recipes. We had the machaca with tortillas and hot sauce, but I think it really did need something else to go with it. I can't put my finger on it, but I think next time I will try sauteing up some onions, tomatoes and green peppers, and mixing them into the meat after it has cooked. All in all though, it is a great recipe with good flavor. Thank you!
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Excellent! The meat was tender, juicy, and wonderfully flavored, and I loved the simplicity of the recipe. Allowing the meat to cool in the broth does indeed help keep it moist, so don't get impatient, as I have done in the past, and pull it out to cool--just plan ahead, as it's worth the extra time. (I didn't take advantage of using the broth this time, but it is far too good to ignore--next time I intend to make a nice posole from it.) I used diced tomatoes, fresh garlic and jalapenos, and simmered an almost-8-pound roast for about 4 1/2 hours. We enjoyed it served simply on flour tortillas. I always thought it was hard to go wrong with a well-cooked Boston Butt, but this was extraordinary--thank you for posting! I'm looking forward to pulling the leftovers out of the freezer, and I'll be looking forward to more recipes from you. ;)
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Was glad to find this recipe, especially since it is not for a crock pot. Used a pork shoulder, 1 can of petite diced tomatoes, and 1 can of Rotel. I added a small dash of chipotle chili powder to the mix as well. Also threw in some cubed onions. It took about 3 hours to cook, and I left it sit in it's broth for an hour. Served with flour tortillas and pico de gallo. Fantastic really. Thank you.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
30 year professional chef; I have had the great fortune to work with and for some great culinary masters over the years. Former culinary school teacher; presently I work mainly with the elderly in retirement/ass't living facilities.
Also, I've done almost everything in restaurants that can be done and there's no great challenge there anymore for me-but taking what can be thought of as mundane food and making something great out of it is a worthy enough cause for me to get outta bed everyday!
I know I don't have many recipes posted, but except for baking I don't have recipes...I was taught to cook by technique, not recipe. Most of my baking recipes would be pretty similar to others done here, so I don't add many. I do enjoy coming on the site and lending some advice when I can, though.