Chorileta Recipe

Make the marinade

In a bowl combine white vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, dried oregano, ground black pepper, bay leaf and salt. Stir to dissolve salt.

Place sliced pork shoulder into a resealable plastic bag or nonreactive container. Pour the marinade over the pork, pressing out excess air, and massage so all slices are coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours (longer will intensify flavor).

When ready to cook, remove pork from marinade and pat slices dry with paper towels (reserve marinade). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sear pork slices 2–3 minutes per side until browned but not fully cooked through. Transfer the pork to a plate.

Lower heat to medium, pour reserved marinade into the skillet and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly, then return seared pork to the pan. Add 1/4 cup chicken stock (from chorizo section amount) if pan is dry, cover, and simmer gently 8–10 minutes until pork is cooked through and tender. Remove pork, let rest 5 minutes, then slice thinly or roughly chop to prepare for assembly.

In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium. Add the removed chorizo meat (break up with a spoon) and cook 4–5 minutes until it starts to render fat and brown. If using very fatty chorizo, drain off excess fat leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.

Add the finely diced yellow onion and sauté 3–4 minutes until translucent. Stir in tomato paste, smoked paprika and ground cumin; cook 1 minute to bloom the spices.

Pour in 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock and scrape up browned bits. Simmer 3–4 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream. Cook 1–2 minutes to integrate, then taste and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper as needed. Fold in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro. Keep warm.

If you prefer a smoother sauce, blend the chorizo mixture briefly with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and pulse until slightly smooth; return to pan and warm gently before assembly.

Warm an 8–10-inch skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/2 cup vegetable oil into a second skillet or sauté pan and heat to shimmering but not smoking (about 350°F/175°C) for shallow frying tortillas. Fry each corn tortilla 10–20 seconds per side until pliable with tiny bubbles; drain on paper towels and press lightly to remove excess oil. Alternatively, warm tortillas on a dry skillet then wrap in a towel.

Place a fried tortilla on a work surface, spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons of chorizo sauce in the center, then top with slices or chopped adobo-marinated pork (about 2–3 ounces of pork per taco). Sprinkle with 1 to 2 tablespoons shredded cheese.

Finish each taco with a drizzle (about 1 teaspoon) of crème fraîche or Mexican crema, a spoonful (about 1 tablespoon) of pickled red onion, and a few cilantro leaves. Serve immediately with lime wedges for squeezing.

To serve family-style, keep remaining chorizo sauce warm in the skillet and pass extra lime wedges and pickles at the table.