Your email address is required to begin the subscription process. We will use it for customer service and other communications from Milk Street. You can unsubscribe from receiving our emails at any time.
Carne Adovada
We found that 3 ounces of New Mexico chilies—the widely available medium-hot chilies grown in the state—and 3 ounces of fruity, mildly smoky Mexican guajillos gave us just the right flavor. If guajillos are hard to find, another 3 ounces of New Mexico chilies can be substituted. Pork butt, which is cut from the shoulder, is a fatty cut. Trimming as much fat as possible from the meat—not just from the surface but also from between the muscles—helps prevent a greasy stew. After trimming, you should have 4 to 4½ pounds of pork. If the stew nonetheless ends up with fat on the surface, simply use a wide, shallow spoon to skim it off. This adovado is rich and robust; it pairs perfectly with Mexican rice, stewed pinto beans and/or warmed flour tortillas.
8
Servings
Tip
Don’t use a picnic shoulder roast for this recipe. The picnic cut, taken from the lower portion of the shoulder, has more cartilage and connective tissue, which will make trimming more difficult. Also, don’t use blackstrap molasses, which has a potent bittersweet flavor.
5 hours
50 minutes active
Ingredients
-
3
ounces New Mexico chilies, stemmed, seeded and torn into pieces
-
3
ounces guajillo chilies, stemmed, seeded and torn into pieces
Directions
-
01Place the chilies in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water and stir. Let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chilies have softened, about 30 minutes. Transfer half of the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the remaining chilies and water and blend until smooth, scraping down the blender as needed. Measure ½ cup of the chili puree into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed. Pour the remaining puree into a medium bowl and set aside; do not scrape out the blender jar. Pour ½ cup of the remaining water into the blender, cover tightly and shake to release all of the puree
Pardon the interruption
You need to be a Milk Street Digital Member to see the full recipe
JOIN MILK STREET DIGITAL & PRINT
12 WEEKS FOR JUST $1
and get access to all of our recipes and articles online, as well as in print.
GET DIGITAL & PRINTReviews
June 16, 2023
Delicious
This is really delicious. I made a test batch and then enthusiastically added this adovada to a party menu where I am serving a trio of street tacos as the main course. This will be served alongside a grilled shrimp taco and a tri tip taco. I did not find this spicy, but it's pleasantly warm on the tongue. I ate some right away and also two days later. In my opinion, this does just fine to sit for a day or two, so it's a great make ahead. I did not add the last bit of sauce and molasses until I was finishing prior to serving. Make this!
This is on our list to make over the July 4th holiday. After reading the article then going over the recipe, I have a question. In the article, Mathew's favorite version is described as "the spices and vinegar brightened the chili flavor better than any other version I’d tried". Yet, this recipe does not use any vinegar. The only acid being the optional drizzle of lime juice at serving time. Why is vinegar not needed in this recipe?
I wrote to Milk Street with that exact question and they responded that "I checked in with our lead recipe developer and she told me that our team thought the vinegar combined with the bitterness of the chilies made the pork taste too sour. The lime juice gave it a bright flavor, without and sourness."
I have made this dish with pork and chicken, but without molasses. Plucking out the seeds from both peppers is worth the effort. The rich sauce that "rises" up from the blender is quite joyful, especially when you sample with a spoon, like one is supposed to do. My next foray is to use the molasses....please forgive.
Hi Diana -
The recipe calls for New Mexico chilies and guajillo chilies. If you can't find guajillo chilies you can use all New Mexico chilies. If you can't find either, you could substitute dried ancho chilies but, since these are more mild, the dish won't be as spicy.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Become A Subscriber To Rate and Review All Our Recipes.
Please Log in or join today for $1.
Thank you for your comment! Your comment is currently under moderation and will appear shortly.