Carne Adovada

By lorik

Pork shoulder—usually labeled pork butt or Boston butt—comes either boneless or on the bone. If using bone-in pork shoulder, buy a 6- to 6½-pound roast. When trimming excess fat, leave at least 1/8-inch thickness on the exterior. Serve the finished dish over rice or with warm corn tortillas.

*Note: Leftovers can be used for spicy pork empanada recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee
• 1 boneless pork shoulder roast (4- to 5-pounds), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon grated zest and 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lime
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation

Step 1

1. Plump fruit: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine raisins and coffee in small bowl. Wrap tightly with plastic and microwave until liquid begins to boil, 1 to 3 minutes; let stand 5 minutes, until raisins are plump.

2. Brown pork: Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of pork, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining pork.

3. Make sauce: Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from Dutch oven. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour, chili powder, oregano, chipotle, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth and raisin mixture, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Working in 2 batches, transfer mixture to blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return sauce to pot.

4. Bake and finish: Add browned pork to sauce in pot and transfer to oven. Cook, covered, until pork is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Skim sauce, then stir in lime zest, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. (Pork can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days.)