Pork And Ancho Stew Recipes

Steps:

• Separate the red onions into rings and place in a small plastic container. Dress with the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
• Place the ancho chiles in a pot and cover with the chicken stock. Turn on the heat and warm the stock to reconstitute the chiles, 10 minutes or so.
• Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, toast the almonds and peanuts over medium heat until browned. Transfer the nuts to a food processor. Reserve the pot. Add the ancho chiles with the stock to the food processor along with the cocoa powder, cloves, garlic, yellow onions and raisins. Season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. (You may need to do this in two batches.)
• Pat the pork dry and heat a thin layer of oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper, then brown in two batches, adding more oil between batches as needed. Return all the pork to the pot and pour the ancho sauce over it. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the pork is very tender, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours (depending on how large you cubed the meat).
• Warm or char the tortillas. Serve the stew with the lime-pickled onions, crumbled cheese and the tortillas.
• Cook's Note: If you are not serving the pork immediately, cool and store it in the refrigerator. Reheat over medium heat.

Steps:

• Combine pork cubes, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until water evaporates. Continue cooking until the pork browns in its rendered fat, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut tops off the dried chiles and remove seeds. Heat chiles in a large skillet over low heat until they start to soften. Do not toast. Place chiles in a bowl of hot water and soak for 20 minutes.
• Remove pork and set aside. Do not wash, wipe out, or clean the Dutch oven.
• Transfer chiles to a blender, reserving soaking water. Add cilantro, chicken bouillon, peppercorns, garlic, cinnamon stick, Mexican oregano, thyme, cumin seeds, bay leaves, and cloves. Pour in 1 cup soaking water and blend until smooth. Add 1 more cup soaking water, season with salt, and blend until completely smooth.
• Melt lard in the Dutch oven. Carefully add blended chile mixture and scrape up all browned bits. Bring to a boil and add pork. Reduce heat and cover partially, leaving about 1 inch open. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and reaches the desired consistency, 15 to 20 minutes.

Steps:

• For the spice rub: Toast the ancho chile pieces over low heat in a dry skillet until fragrant, shaking the pan so they don't scorch. Put the chiles in spice grinder and pulse to a powder. Add the remaining ingredients and buzz again to combine. (Reserve some to sprinkle on the corn.)
• For the pork: Rub the spice mix into the pork and set aside for 1 hour while you prepare the grill. (You can marinate the pork longer under refrigeration, just make sure to bring it to room temperature before cooking it.) Light the coals in a barbecue grill with a cover. When the coals are hot, push them to 1 side of the grill. Rub the pork with some olive oil and season it liberally with salt. Put the pork on the grill away from the coals and place a drip pan underneath the meat. Close the cover and cook, maintaining a medium low temperature, for about 4 to 6 hours, or until the meat shreds easily. Turn the meat occasionally and baste with the drippings.
• For the drizzling sauce: Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth; taste and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the shredded pork.

Steps:

• Add the anchos to a medium pot with the chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Heat until the chiles are softened, about 15 minutes.
• Pat the meat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven with the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches and remove to a plate. Add more oil, as necessary. Add the garlic, carrots, bay leaves, onions, jalapenos, cumin, cloves and some salt and pepper. Cook partially covered for a few minutes.
• Puree the anchos and stock together. Add the ancho stock to the Dutch oven with the cinnamon stick, lime juice, tomatoes (mash up the tomatoes a bit). Stir in the cilantro and return the pork to the Dutch oven. Stir, cover and cook over low heat 2 1/2 to 3 hours until very tender, stirring occasionally. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Cool completely and store in the refrigerator for a make-ahead meal.
• Reheat over medium heat. Serve with rice and jalapenos.