Recipe Overview

Level: Easy | Yield: About 8 servings

Time Requirements:

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 5 hr 11 min
Total: 5 hr 36 min

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 399
Total Fat: 15 grams
Saturated Fat: 4 grams
Cholesterol: 147 milligrams
Sodium: 452 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 14 grams
Dietary Fiber: 3 grams
Protein: 51 grams
Sugar: 5 grams

About This Dish

Discover the authentic flavors of Mexico in this stunning slow-cooker masterpiece. A vibrant blend of smoky ancho and pasilla chiles meets the warmth of garlic, honey, and aromatic spices to create a sauce that's both complex and deeply satisfying. Tender, fall-apart pork shoulder simmers in this fragrant mixture until it's impossibly juicy and rich. Shred it up and serve nestled in warm corn tortillas with all your favorite toppings for a meal that tastes like you've been cooking all daybecause you have!

Ingredients

3 whole ancho chiles
3 whole pasilla chiles
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 to 3 chipotles in adobo sauce
1/2 medium white onion, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican
3 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (untrimmed), cut into chunks
Freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
Corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
Assorted taco toppings, for garnish

Instructions

Place the ancho and pasilla chiles and the garlic in a bowl; add 2 to 3 tablespoons water. Microwave on high until soft and pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove stems and seeds from the chiles; peel the garlic. Transfer the chiles and garlic to a blender.
Add the chipotles, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, honey, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the oregano to the blender; blend until smooth. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat; add the chile sauce and cook, stirring, until thick and aromatic, about 8 minutes. Pour in the broth and simmer until slightly thickened.
Season the pork all over with salt and pepper and place in a large slow cooker. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, then pour in the sauce. Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 5 hours. (Alternatively, cook the meat in a large Dutch oven, covered, for 1 hour 45 minutes at 350 degrees; uncover and cook 30 more minutes.)
Remove and discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Shred the pork with two forks; season with salt and pepper. Serve the shredded pork in the tortillas, along with toppings.

Photograph by Tina Rupp

Courtesy of Recipe Iseasy Magazine