Sunday, December 13, 2015

Chilorio.- Another word for flavor.................

CHILORIO.- A pork dish from the state of Sinaloa made from pork that's fried in a chile sauce. So far sounds amazing right? Please don't confuse the slow cooked, fried at home and spiced to perfection dish you get when you put your heart and soul into it from the meat you get from that ever familiar white, red and green "La Chata" can from your local Mexican supermarket. (Hey, I even kind of like that version and in a pinch can turn it into something really yummy).

But Chilorio is more about pork meat that's slowly simmered for hours (got a pressure cooker?) until it's fall apart tender, made into bite size pieces and then again, cooked in a chile sauce made from scratch. Fried in lard of course, so you can see with the levels of preparation you are infusing and re-infusing flavor at every turn. Sure, it's heavy and time consuming to make but it also goes a long way, you don't eat a lot because served in tacos along with all the toppings we usually put on tacos, and I don't know about you but for me the toppings are another art form all together, I swear. A great party food since it does go a long way and you might as well make a lot to make all the work worthwhile and then why not have friends to share with? Right? A win win if I ever heard one....

While traditionally it must be pork, there is all kinds like chicken, turkey, soy (yes, soy protein would certainly benefit from the strong chile sauce) and can be enjoyed in tacos of course, but enchiladas, quesadillas, nachos, tostadas, sopes, tamales, tortas, grilled cheese sandwiches, burritos, jalapenos rellenos, gringas, pizza, huevos revueltos and more.....

Here's an excellent recipe so that you too can make your very own "Chilorio"....

You will need:

1.5 - 2 Kilos ( 3 3/4 - 4.5 lbs) pork leg, pork loin or pork butt (the last is the most economical)
2-4 Tbl Pork Lard
3-4 Chiles Anchos, dried, de-seeded, de-stemmed
2-3 Chiles Guajillos, dried, de-seeded, de-stemmed
6-8 Garlic cloves
1-2 Tbl Oregano, dried, powdered (Mexican is best)
1    Tbl Cumin, dried, powdered
2-3 Apple Cider Vinegar
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
3-4 Sprigs Cilantro


Put the meat in a large heavy pot and cover with water, add 1-2 tsp of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so it will continue to simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, meat should be tender.  Let it rest and cool in the pot until you can handle the meat and then shred the meat while you reserve the broth.

Bring about 1-2 cups of the reserved broth in a pot and add the dried chiles until the broth boils and cook the chiles to tenderize them for about 20 min or until they are soft and tender. Then add the garlic, spices, vinegar and vinegar to the chiles and let everything simmer for another 5-10 min. Place this mixture into the blender and make a thick sauce. Make sure it's without pieces of the skin of the chiles or put through a sieve to insure a smooth sauce. (This usually depends on the freshness and quality of the dried chiles you can obtain) While the sauce is being made, put a large skillet over low-med heat, add some lard to the pan and melt. Fry the meat and keep turning and stirring until meat begins to brown.

After the sauce is done and the meat is golden fried brown, mix everything really well and if it's too thick and dry you can add more broth to insure it doesn't stick, keep stirring the meat to allow the sauce to permeate the meat really well. Don't let this stick or burn or it will change the flavor. Let them meat cook this way for at least an hour. You can lower the heat to prevent sticking and add broth as necessary but don't make it too liquid, the sauce should stick to the meat.

Taste the meat to adjust seasonings and add more if needed. Be fearless and trust yourself.

Once the meat is done you are ready to dedicate it to your choice of dish(es). Freezes well and is only more flavorful with time, and unlike the canned version, this does need refrigeration.

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