Hatch Green Chile Pork, Adovada Pork Or Chile Colorado Pan Recipe
Make your own burritos with a delicious pan of meat, served with flour tortillas. Serves 10-12
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Ingredients
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Pork and Marinade
Hatch Green Chile Adovada / Chile Colorado Sauce (choose or mix elements for preferred style)
Finishing and Serving
Method
Pork and Marinade
- 1
Prepare pork
Trim excess fat from the pork shoulder and cut into 1- to 1.5-inch cubes. Pat the pieces dry with paper towels.
- 2
Season
In a large bowl, toss the pork cubes with 2 tablespoons kosher salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper until evenly coated. Let sit 15–30 minutes at room temperature while you prepare the sauce (or refrigerate up to 2 hours).
- 3
Sear in batches
Heat a large heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup vegetable oil or lard and heat until shimmering but not smoking. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, sear pork cubes in a single layer until well browned on all sides, about 6–8 minutes per batch. Transfer seared pork to a plate and set aside. Leave browned fond in the pan.
- 4
Deglaze
If pan is dry, add ½ cup of the water or broth to the pan and scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Return all seared pork to the pan after sauce is ready to be added.
Hatch Green Chile Adovada / Chile Colorado Sauce (choose style)
- 5
Prep dried chiles (for Colorado depth and Adovada base)
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Toast dried guajillo and ancho chiles (6 guajillo, 4 ancho) lightly for 20–30 seconds per side until fragrant but not burned. Remove stems and seeds. Place toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with 2 cups of very hot water. Let soak 15–20 minutes until softened. Reserve soaking liquid.
- 6
Roast and peel Hatch chiles
If using fresh Hatch chiles, roast on a gas burner, broiler, or hot skillet until blistered and blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel for 10 minutes to steam. Peel, remove seeds if desired, and coarsely chop to make about 4 cups. (You can substitute canned roasted green chiles if needed.)
- 7
Cook aromatics
In the same Dutch oven or a separate skillet, add 1–2 tablespoons oil if needed and sauté the roughly chopped onions until translucent and beginning to brown, about 6–8 minutes. Add smashed garlic cloves and cook 1–2 minutes more until fragrant.
- 8
Blend sauce
In a blender, combine the soaked guajillo/ancho chiles (drained but reserve some soaking liquid), the chopped roasted Hatch chiles, sautéed onions and garlic, 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons oregano, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Add ½–1 cup of the reserved chile soaking liquid or water to help blend. Purée until very smooth, adding additional soaking liquid a tablespoon at a time to reach a thick but pourable sauce consistency.
- 9
Taste and adjust
Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning: more salt, a splash more vinegar for brightness, or more sugar to balance acidity. If you want it spicier, finely mince 1–2 fresh jalapeños or add a pinch of cayenne and purée again.
- 10
Cook sauce
Return the blended sauce to the pan with the reserved fond. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, 10–12 minutes to deepen flavor and remove raw tomato/chile edge.
Combine, Braise and Finish
- 11
Combine pork and sauce
Add the seared pork cubes to the simmering sauce in the Dutch oven. Pour in the remaining 3½–4 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth to nearly cover the meat (use less if you like a thicker final pan). Stir to combine, scraping any browned bits from the pot into the sauce.
- 12
Braise
Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and braise on the stovetop over low heat or in a preheated 325°F (160°C) oven for 1.75–2.25 hours, or until the pork is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened. Check once halfway through and skim any foam or excess oil from the surface.
- 13
Shred or keep chunky
When the pork is very tender, remove from heat. For a shredded texture (traditional adovada style), transfer pork pieces to a cutting board and use two forks to shred, then return to the sauce and simmer 5–10 minutes so shredded meat soaks up flavor. For chunky chile colorado style, leave the pieces whole or cut larger chunks as desired and simmer briefly to meld flavors.
- 14
Adjust consistency and seasoning
If the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered for 8–12 minutes to reduce. If too thick, add up to ½ cup water or broth. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, or vinegar as needed.
Finishing and Serving
- 15
- 16
Assemble burritos
Lay a warmed flour tortilla flat. Spoon ⅓ to ½ cup of the pork and sauce into the center (adjust to preference). Sprinkle with shredded cheese so it melts a bit from the warm meat. Add diced onion, chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and pickled jalapeños or salsa if desired. Fold into burritos or serve as build-your-own with the pan on the table.
- 17
Serve
Serve immediately with extra lime wedges, hot sauce, and additional chopped cilantro and diced onion on the side. Leftovers keep well refrigerated up to 4 days and can be reheated gently on the stovetop or in an oven.
