The recipe calls for just 1 1/4 lb of pork shoulder, which of course I couldn’t find, so I bought a larger one and cut it in 3 pieces, sticking the extra 2 in the freezer for another day. The pork is marinated in a combination of sweet, spicy and smoky flavors, then quickly browned on the stove top and cooked for a few hours until it’s so tender it falls apart; it could not be easier. You could probably even throw it in your slow cooker if you didn’t feel like having the oven on for hours, especially as the weather heats up. The pork turned out really flavorful and juicy. I found some queso blanco and lettuce in the fridge that desperately needed to be used so I added those to the mix and made some homemade tortilla chips to throw on the plate too. It wound up being a pretty fantastic combination, if I do say so myself.
Chipotle Pork
from Cooking Light
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 9 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce
- 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 1/4 lb boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed of excess fat
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Directions:
Combine the onion, honey, cumin, cinnamon, garlic and chiles in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until well combined – the onion, garlic and chiles should be finely chopped. Peel the lime, then, working over a bowl to catch the juices, section the lime (if you’ve never sectioned a citrus fruit, there’s a video here explaining the process). Add the lime sections and juice from the bowl you were working over to the food processor. Squeeze any remaining juice from the membranes into the bowl of the food processor too. Finally, add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the mixture and process until smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic bag. Add the pork, turning to coat. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to a small Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Remove the pork from the bag, reserving the marinade. Season the pork all over with salt then add to the hot pan. Brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer the pork to a plate. Add the chicken broth and reserved marinade to the pan. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the pork back to the pan along with any accumulated juices on the plate. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 1/4 – 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is fork tender. (I checked mine every 45 minutes or so to ensure there was still enough liquid in the pan. I never needed to add any, but if you find the liquid has cooked off, add additional to the pan.) Remove the pork from the pan and shred into bite-size pieces. Add back to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce.
