Name: Tacos Chilorio
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1½ cups water; 1½ ounces dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces; 1 ounce dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces; 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano; ½ teaspoon cumin seeds or ground cumin; ½ teaspoon black peppercorns; 2 bay leaves; 1 whole clove; 1 white onion (½ onion chopped coarse, ½ onion chopped fine); ⅓ cup cider vinegar; 4 garlic cloves, peeled; 1½ teaspoons table salt; 1 (3-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces; 18 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed; 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Why This Recipe Works

Chilorio—an easily made mixture of tender shreds of pork shoulder and a vivid puree of rehydrated dried chiles that’s sometimes described as Mexican pulled pork—is a tasty filling for tacos. While some recipes call for simmering the meat in water and marrying it with the chile puree only after shredding the meat, we find that mixing the raw meat with the puree and cooking them together allows the flavors to meld more. Fruity ancho chiles and earthy guajillos collaborate to produce complex chile flavor, and small amounts of cumin, black peppercorns, and a single clove bring out some of the chiles’ nuances without obscuring the flavor of the pork. Vinegar not only provides brightness but also softens the texture of the meat because it changes the electric charges on the proteins, causing them to repel each other, so the muscle fibers swell up and hold on to more moisture.

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Before You Begin

Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt. If you can find only one of the varieties of dried chiles, use 2½ ounces of that variety. If you can’t find Mexican oregano, use Mediterranean oregano. Refried beans, sliced avocado, and rice are traditional accompaniments. Chilorio can also be used as a tostada topping; a tostada, burrito, or enchilada filling; or part of a breakfast plate.

Instructions

Combine 1½ cups water; 1 ½ ounces dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces; 1 ounce dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces; 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano; ½ teaspoon cumin seeds; ½ teaspoon black peppercorns; 2 bay leaves; and 1 whole clove in small saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit until chiles are softened, about 30 minutes. While chiles are softening, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.

Transfer chile mixture (including bay leaves) to blender. Add ½ white onion, chopped coarse; ⅓ cup cider vinegar; 4 peeled garlic cloves; and 1½ teaspoons table salt. Process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar halfway through blending.

Combine 1 boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces, and chile sauce in Dutch oven, stirring to make sure pork is evenly coated. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover pot; transfer to oven; and cook until fork inserted into pork meets little to no resistance, 2 to 2½ hours.

Using potato masher, mash pork until finely shredded. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until most of liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve on 18 warmed flour tortillas, passing ½ white onion, chopped fine, and 1 cup chopped cilantro separately. (Chilorio can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)