New Mexico Red Chile & Pork Stew (Carne Adovada)
By
Andy Anderson !
@ThePretentiousChef
10
Carne Adovada is a wonderful staple of New Mexico dinner tables. With chunks of fork-tender pork swimming in an awesome red chile sauce, it is a flavor explosion.
One important point… The only way to create an authentic Carne Adovada, is to use a chile pepper that’s only grown in New Mexico. It’s not easy to find, and you might have to order it online; but more on that later.
So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.
One important point… The only way to create an authentic Carne Adovada, is to use a chile pepper that’s only grown in New Mexico. It’s not easy to find, and you might have to order it online; but more on that later.
So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.
Ingredients
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2 Tbspgrapeseed, vegetable, or canola oil
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2 mediumgarlic cloves, minced
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4 oznew mexico red chile pods whole, dried (medium heat)
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2 1/2 cfiltered water
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1/2 mediumyellow onion, medium dice
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1 Tbspchile pequin, crushed to a powder, or an equal amount of red chile powder
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1/2 tspgarlic powder
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1.2 tsporegano, dried
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1 Tbspwhite wine vinegar
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1 tspground cumin
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2 lbboneless pork shoulder
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1 largelime, just the juice
How to Make New Mexico Red Chile & Pork Stew (Carne Adovada)
- Red Chile Pods: The New Mexico red chile has a very unique & spicy taste... It’s warm and sweet, at the same time. You want those that have been sun dried. In addition, they come in five different varieties: mild, medium, hot, x-hot, and xx-hot. For this dish use mild, or medium. The best come from the Hatch Valley area of New Mexico. A good place to get them online is: diazfarms.com/chile-shop?page=shop.b...
- Chile Pequin: A small chile pepper, usually attaining a length of only 1/2 inch. They are extremely hot (between 13 to 40 times hotter than a jalapeño) On the Scoville scale they rate from 60,000 to 100,000. In other words: A little goes a long way. A good place to get them online is: spicesinc.com/p-1537-pequin-chiles.a...
- Red Chile Powder: If you don’t want the heat of the Chile Pequin, you can substitute an equal amount of New Mexico red chile powder. You won’t have as much heat; however, the flavor will still be there. A good place to purchase on line is: diazfarms.com/chile-shop?page=shop.b...
- Chef’s Note: Since this dish requires resting in the refrigerator overnight, you might want to start the process later in the afternoon.
- Gather your ingredients.
- Place the oil in a large saucepan, or Dutch oven, over medium heat.
- Put the minced garlic into the pan and sauté, until it begins to color.
- Chef’s Tip: It will go from golden, to brown, to burned in a short time. Keep your eye on that pan.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and leave the garlic in the pan.
- Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 375f (190c).
- Chef’s Note: Is it spelled Chile, or Chili? This is rule that I go by. The hot peppers or the plant from which the peppers come should be spelled with an "e." A spicy dish of meat and sometimes beans should be spelled with an "i." You can start a bar fight with that question.
- Remove the stems from the peppers, and shake to remove the seeds.
- Place peppers into a colander and then rinse and drain.
- Place in a single layer on a baking sheet, put into the oven, and bake for about 5 to 7 minutes. This will remove any excess water.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
- Once sufficiently cool, break each chile into several pieces.
- Place the peppers into a blender, or food processor fitted with an S-blade.
- Add the filtered water.
- Process until pureed.
- Chef’s Note: You will probably see a few bits, but for the most part, the mixture should be nice and smooth.
- Add the pureed chilies into the saucepan with the garlic.
- Add the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the pork and limejuice, to the saucepan.
- Bring the sauce to the boil, and then immediately reduce to a low simmer.
- Continue to stir and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Chef’s Note: We don’t want it too thick, almost like a light cream sauce.
- Chef's Note Remove the saucepan from the heat, and allow it to cool down to room temperature, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Chef’s Tip: Don’t hasten the cooling process by placing the saucepan in the refrigerator. As the sauce slowly cools it gives the spices a chance to get acquainted.
- While the sauce is cooling, trim the excess fat from the pork and cut into 1 to 1.5 inch cubes.
- Chef’s Note: You don’t have to be perfect here… this is a rustic dish.
- Chef’s Tip: If you’re planning on using this in a burrito or taco, cut the meat into smaller pieces.
- Stir the pork into the chile sauce, cover and place in the refrigerator, overnight.
- The next day, place a rack in the lower position, and preheat the oven to 275f (135c).
- Cover and place into the oven, and bake until the meat is fork tender, and the sauce has cooked down, about 3 hours.
- About once an hour, open the oven and give the stew a quick stir.
- Chef’s Note: If, after 3 hours, the sauce still seems a bit runny, remove the cover, and allow to bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and add the reserved limejuice.
- Serve with a simple side salad of lettuce and tomatoes, and bring plenty of freshly made flour tortillas. Enjoy.
- Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
