Oscar's Chile Colorado Mole

By kallen2302

The spicy Mexican stews called moles are a delightful collection of dishes ranging in color from green to deep brown. The best-known versions in the United States contain a dash of chocolate in the sauce, which adds depth of flavor. Beth's friend and chef Oscar Mariscal likes to make this with a slab of bone-in pork shoulder for extra flavor and shreds the pork after cooking. The unusual addition of the potato is for its thickening quality. Serve with pinto beans cooked up with a dash of cumin, oregano, and garlic. Tuck the meat and beans into a large flour tortilla, roll up, and enjoy as a burrito.
COOKER: Medium oval or large round or oval
SETTING AND COOK TIME: LOW for 8 to 10 hours

Ingredients

• One 2- to 2 1/2-pound bone-in pork shoulder, loin roast, or Boston butt
• 2 tablespoons olive or peanut oil
• 1 medium-size yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 medium-size russet potato, peeled and cubed
• One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup New Mexican red chile powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
• 1/2 of a 4-ounce Hershey milk chocolate bar
• 1 heaping tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

1. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until very hot. Add the meat and cook until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add to the cooker along with the potato, tomato sauce, chile powder, oregano, cumin, and jalapeno. Add water just to cover. Cover and cook on LOW until the pork shreds easily when pressed with a spoon, 8 to 10 hours.
2. Transfer the meat to a platter and shred with a fork or cut into cubes; discard the bones. Add the chocolate and peanut butter to the slow cooker; stir to combine and melt the chocolate. Season with the salt and pepper, return the meat to the cooker, and stir to blend. Serve hot.