Chile Colorado

Every so often I want an excuse to make a pot of beans. This turned into an excuse to make some beans, because that was the logical accompaniment to some Chile Colorado; besides, I wanted to actually use my food processor.

Ingredients

Chile sauce

• 3-4oz dry California or New Mexico chiles
• 1pt boiling water
• 6 cloves garlic
• 12oz beef (or preferred) stock (I use Better than Bouillon)

Carne

• 2lb boneless pork shoulder, 1" cubed
• 2 Tbsp Lard/bacon grease
• Dry rub blend:
  • Salt
  • Garlic powder
  • Chili powder / Chile powder & sazón
• Braise spices:
  • 1½ Tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • ⅛ tsp achiote
  • dash of cinnamon
  • 2-3 bay leaves
• Salt to adjust, near the end.

Equipment

• Dutch oven
• Food processor (or blender)
• Electric kettle
• sieve or mesh strainer (optional)

Preparation

1. Cube the pork shoulder, then toss in the blended salt, garlic powder and chili powder. Set aside to rest while finishing the rest of the dish.
2. Boil a pint or so of water; a kettle’s useful for this step. Pull the stems, clear the seeds and strip out the ribs of the peppers, then put them in a heat-safe bowl. Once you’ve stripped all your peppers, pour the boiling water over them and rest a small plate on them to keep them under the water. Cover the bowl to retain heat, and leave it for 15 minutes.
3. Peel garlic, pour off the water from the peppers, transfer them into the food processor, add garlic cloves and stock, and start blending. (Optionally, strain for solids.)
4. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Heat lard in a dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add pork in batches. Give it time to sear before flipping, and build up some color on the meat before simmering.
5. Once all the meat’s browned, toss in the spices, stir to combine, and add the chile sauce. Bring to a simmer.
6. Lid the pot, then set in the oven to braise for 3 hours or until near falling apart. Check for seasoning when nearing ready.

Notes

I loved serving this with a batch of mildly spiced beans and rice, but I gotta try it in different contexts now. Pork shoulder just worked amazingly well.