Ingredients

For the pozole:

• 4 qt. water
• 2 lb. cubed pork
• 1 lb. pork spare ribs or baby back ribs
• 1 white onion, quartered
• 8 cloves garlic
• salt
• 3 15-oz. cans hominy (or, see below for dry)

For the chile sauce:

• 5 dried guajillo peppers
• 5 dried ancho peppers
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• salt

Garnishes:

• 1 head lettuce or cabbage, shredded finely
• 1 1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
• ground chile piquin
• 1 1/2 c. radishes, sliced
• Mexican oregano
• Tostadas or tortilla chips
• Lime wedges
• Avocado, diced

Preparation

If you want to use dried hominy (1 to 1 1/2 lb.), rinse it and pick it over, place it in an Instant Pot, cover with water a few inches above the kernels. Add a quarter of an onion, two cloves of garlic, and a few bay leaves. Run the pot on the “beans” setting one or two times, until the hominy is fully tender and starts to pop. Drain it and use it as canned.

Heat water in a large stock pot. Add pork, ribs, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 2 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender and falling off the bone. Season with salt when the meat is almost done. While cooking, skim the foam and fat occasionally, adding water if needed.

Remove pork from broth. Trim excess fat, discard bones, onion, and garlic. Shred the meat.

Meanwhile (or in advance, if you want), soak the anchos and guajillos in just enough water to cover, for 25-30 minutes, until soft. Blend the peppers, garlic cloves, onion, and oregano, adding some of the soaking water if needed, until smooth.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pepper sauce and salt to taste, stirring constantly as it cooks. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 25 minutes.

Add the sauce to the broth, straining it if you want. Bring to a boil and add the meat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the hominy, and adjust seasoning. Simmer until heated through.

Serve with any garnishes desired.

Mexico Kitchen

Ingredients

For the chile sauce:

• 8 oz. red chile pods (e.g., red New Mexico)
• 6 c. water
• 6 tbsp. flour
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp. salt

For the pulled pork:

• 7-8 lb. pork butt or pork shoulder
• 2 1/2 c. water
• 1 tbsp. salt

For the masa:

• 2 lb. lard
• 2 tsp. baking powder, divided
• 2 tbsp. salt, divided
• 5 lb. masa
• 2-3 c. broth (from above)
• 1/2 c. red chile sauce (if making red chile pork tamales)

For the tamales:

• 6 tbsp. flour
• corn husks

Preparation

Make the chile sauce:

Remove stems, seeds, and veins from the chile pods. Place in a colander and rinse well with cool water.

Add the chiles to a large pot and add enough water so they are just covered. Bring water to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. After 10 minutes turn the chiles over with tongs to make sure the chiles soften evenly. Drain cooked pods and allow time to cool down before blending. Discard water.

Fill blender with 3 cups of water, half of the cooled chile pods, 3 tablespoons flour, 2 cloves garlic, and half of the salt. Blend until smooth. Strain sauce through a fine sieve to remove skins and seeds; discard skins and seeds. Repeat blending and straining process with remaining water, pods, flour, garlic, and salt. If necessary, season with more salt.

Note: You can make a double batch of this sauce and keep some frozen.

Make the pulled pork:

Place pork, water, and salt in a slow cooker and cook for 6 to 8 hours. Remove, cool, and shred. As you shred, set aside the fat that you remove, if any.

Combine the cooled broth from the pork and the leftover fat in a blender, and blend. Reserve for use when making the tamale masa and filling.

Note: This will also keep, covered, for 1 week in the fridge, or freeze.

Place 1 lb. lard in a large mixer and mix until fluffy, scraping the sides regularly. Add half the baking powder and half the salt, and mix.

Add half the masa, and mix. Slowly add half the broth and half the chile sauce (if using), and mix. At this point, the mixture should be the consistency of smooth peanut butter. If not, add some more broth. Test the masa by taking 1/2 tsp. and dropping it into a cup of warm water. If it floats, it’s ready. If it sinks, add a little more lard, beat for a minute, and test it again.

Repeat those steps for the other half of the ingredients. Cover the masa and set aside.

Make the filling:

Heat 6 tbsp. of the broth in a large skillet. Add flour and cook for at least 4 to 5 minutes. Add one batch of the red chile sauce (around 6 1/2 c.) and cook for 10 minutes. Add the pork and stir. Simmer for at least 10 minutes. Let cool before making tamales.

Make the tamales:

Soak the corn husks in water for an hour before using, and rinse well. Keep them in water while you work on the tamales.

Place the wide end of the husk in the palm of your hand, narrow end at the top. Starting at the middle of the husk, spread 2 tbsp. of masa with the back of a spoon in a rectangle or oval shape, using a downward motion toward the bottom edge. Do not spread to the ends; leave about a 2" border on the left and right sides.

Spoon 1 1/2 tbsp. of your filling down the center of the masa. Fold both sides to the center. Finish off by bringing the pointed end of the husk down toward the filled end. Make sure that closure is snug. Secure by tying a thin strip of corn husk around the tamal.

Use a deep pot or tamale steamer to steam tamales. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and steam for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. To test if done, try taking off a corn husk; if they come off without sticking, the tamales are done.

Muy Bueno

Ingredients

• 750 g pork shoulder, cut into 1" pieces
• 4 tbsp. vegetable or coconut oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 500g red onions, finely sliced
• 5 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 small green chiles, stalks removed
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. tamarind pulp
• 6 small sweet pickled onions, each cut into 2
• 20g fresh cilantro, finely chopped

for the paste:

• 5cm cinnamon stick
• 6 crushed cardamom pods
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 10 cloves
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 10 cloves garlic
• 5 cm piece peeled ginger
• 60ml malt vinegar

Preparation

Grind together the paste ingredients, starting with the largest spices first, then adding the cumin and coriander seeds, and blend to a fine consistency. Add the chilli and turmeric powders and mix well. Add the garlic and ginger and grind, adding the vinegar to make a paste.

Rub the paste into the diced pork and leave to sit for at least an hour or overnight in a refrigerator.

Heat the oil in a wide, pan (one that has a lid) over a medium-low flame, add the mustard seeds and let crackle for 30 seconds. Add the onions and fry until soft and golden. Add the tomatoes, chillies and curry leaves, and cook until the tomatoes start to break down.

Add the pork and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook for 10-12 minutes stirring continually until the pork browns. Add 250ml of water, stir well, add the jaggery, salt and tamarind and mix through. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, turn the heat right down and cook gently for 45-60 minutes.

Check the amount of liquid in the pan and, if needed, cook for another 15 minutes, or until the meat is very tender and the sauce has thickened.

Scatter the pickled onions and chopped coriander over the dish and serve hot.

Vivek Singh / BBC

Ingredients

• 4 thin center-cut boneless pork chops (about 1 pound total)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion (about 1/2 large onion)
• 4 cups rough chopped green cabbage (about 1 pound)
• 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation

Pat the pork chops dry and season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chops and cook until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn the chops and cook until browned on the other side, about 3 minutes. (If the chops are browning too quickly, lower the heat.) Transfer the chops to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Add the onion to the skillet and stir, cooking until the onion is softened and nearly translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and cook until the cabbage is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the butter, if using, and toss to coat the cabbage. (If the chops are lean, butter will enhance the flavor.) Transfer the cabbage mixture to a serving platter and cover to keep warm.

Lower the heat to medium. Add the cream and mustard to the skillet and stir until the mustard is fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and white pepper; stir to combine.

Add the chops back to the skillet. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes, basting the chops with the sauce.

Place the chops on top of the cabbage on the serving platter. Drizzle the chops and cabbage with the remaining sauce, garnish with the parsley and serve.

WaPo

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb. bone-in pork loin, excess fat removed (preferably marinated overnight)
• 2 lb. or 5 c. dry white beans (in the US, Great Northern beans)
• 1/2 lb. fresh pork rind or salt pork rind
• 6-8 sprigs parsley
• 4 unpeeled cloves garlic
• 2 cloves
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lb. fresh, unsalted, unsmoked lean bacon (or very good, lean salt pork simmered for 10 minutes in 2 qt. water, drained)
• 1 c. sliced onions
• 2–2 1/2 lb. boned shoulder or breast of mutton
• 4–6 tbsp. fresh pork fat, pork-roast drippings, goose fat, or oil
• 1 lb. cracked mutton or lamb or pork bones
• 2 c. minced onions
• 4 cloves mashed garlic
• 6 tbsp. fresh tomato purée, or tomato paste, or 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and juiced
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups dry white wine or 2 cups dry white vermouth
• 1 qt. brown stock or 3 cups canned beef stock with 1 cup water
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 lb. saucisse de Toulouse or other garlic-forward sausag
• 2 c. dry white bread crumbs mixed with 1/2 c. chopped parsley
• 3–4 tbsp. pork roasting fat or goose fat

Preparation

Bake the pork loin to an internal temperature of 175–180 degrees, and set it aside to cool. Reserve its cooking juices.

Place the beans into an 8 quart pot containing 5 quarts of water at a rolling boil. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and let the beans soak for 1 hour. The rest of the cooking should proceed as soon as possible after the soaking is completed.

While the beans are soaking, place the pork rind in a saucepan and cover with 1 qt. cold water. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Drain, rinse, and repeat the process. Then, with kitchen shears, cut the rind into 1/4" strips, and cut the strips into small triangles. Cover the rind again with 1 qt. water, bring to a simmer, and simmer slowly for 30 minutes. Set the saucepan aside.

Tie the parsley, garlic, cloves, thyme, and bay leaves in cheesecloth. Place the unsmoked bacon (or blanched salt pork), onions, the pork rind and its cooking liquid, and the herb bouquet into the kettle with the soaked beans. If you did not use salt pork so far, add 1 tbsp. salt. Bring to a simmer. Skim off any fat which might rise. Simmer, uncovered, for about 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are just tender. Add more boiling water during cooking, if necessary, to keep the beans covered. Season to taste near the end of the cooking process. Leave the beans in their cooking liquid until you are ready to use them, then drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Remove the bacon or salt pork and set aside. Discard the herbs.

Cut the lamb or mutton into chunks roughly 2" square. Dry each piece in paper towel. Pour a thin layer of fat into a heavy, 8-quart, fireproof casserole and heat until almost smoking. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, on all sides. Set the meat aside. Brown the bones and add them to the meat. If fat has burned, discard it and add 3 tbsp. more. Lower the heat and brown the onions lightly, about 5 minutes.

Return the bones and the lamb to the casserole and stir in the garlic, tomato, thyme, bay leaves, wine/vermouth, and stock. Bring to a simmer and season to taste with salt. Cover and simmer slowly, or in a 325-degree oven, for 1 1/2 hours. Then remove the meat to a dish; discard the bones and bay leaves. Remove all but 2 tbsp. fat and carefully correct the seasoning of the cooking liquid.

Pour the cooked and drained beans into the lamb cooking liquid. Stir in any juices you may have from roasting the pork. Add bean cooking liquid, if needed, until the beans are covered. Bring to a simmer and simmer 5 minutes, then let the beans stand in the liquid for 10 minutes. Drain the beans when you are ready for final assembly, again reserving the liquid.

Brown the saucisse de Toulouse, cut into lengths between 1/2" and 3" long (depending on size/preference) and drain on paper towels.

Cut the roast pork into 1 1/2–2" serving chunks. Slice the bacon or salt pork into serving pieces 1/4" thick. Arrange a layer of beans in the bottom of your cassoulet dish, then continue with layers of lamb, roast pork, bacon slices, sausage, and beans, ending with a layer of beans and sausage. Pour on the meat cooking juices, and enough bean cooking juice so that liquid comes just to the top layer of beans. Spread on the bread crumbs and dribble the fat over the top. You can set this aside until you’re ready for final cooking (about 1h).

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Bring the casserole to a simmer on top of the stove. Set it in the upper level of the oven. When the top has crusted lightly, after about 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Break the crust into the beans with the back of a spoon, and baste with the liquid in the casserole. Repeat this process several times, as the crust re-forms, but leave a final crust for serving. If the liquid in the cassoulet becomes too thick, add a spoonful or two of bean cooking liquid. It should bake for about one hour.

Variations

You could use goose confit instead of the roast pork. Scrape the fat off, and cut it into serving portions, then brown it lightly in some of the fat from the package. Then arrange it directly in the final step.

If you have fresh goose, duck, turkey, or partridge, you can roast or braise it, carve it into serving pieces, and use it with or instead of the roast pork.

Ham hock or veal shank can be added to the simmer with the beans, then cut into serving pieces and added at final assembly.

Julia Child

Ingredients

• 1 medium-size firm eggplant, a little over a pound or so in weight
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen or seed
• 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 1 small onion, grated or very finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 1 chili pepper – Italian red cherry or Fresno, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• a generous handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 pound short-cut pasta, whatever shape you like
• Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Peel half the skin off the eggplant. Dice very finely into 1/8-inch pieces. Sprinkle with salt and reserve. Place a large pot of water over high heat for the pasta. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve a half cup of the starchy pasta water for the sauce. Heat the olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Add pork and lightly brown while finely crumbling it into tiny bits. Season with fennel, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, thyme and the chili pepper. Squeeze any liquid from the eggplant then stir it into the pork. Cook about 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently until eggplant is tender. Deglaze with white wine, stir a minute then stir in cream and simmer over low heat while pasta cooks. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce, adding liquid to combine. Stir in parsley.

Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 whole suckling pig, around 20lb/10kg
• salt and pepper
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
• 1 tsp. juniper berries, chopped
• 2 bay leaves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 275 F. Chop together the garlic, rosemary, parsley, sage, and juniper berries, and stir in 2 tbsp. of oil. Rinse the pig inside and out, pat dry. Season inside and out with oil, salt, and pepper. Place the herb mixture inside the cavity of the pig. Cover ears and tail with tin foil to keep them from burning, and put a ball of tin foil in the mouth if you want to add an apple later.

Roast until an instant-read thermometer reads 160 F at the deepest joint (the shoulder near the head), around 4 hours (or less). (If you want to hold the pig, you can tent it with foil at this point until ready to continue.) Increase oven temperature to 500 F and cook for 30 minutes more, until skin is crisp all over.

[Consider serving this with Czech potato pancakes.]

Serious Eats and Recipe 4 Living, edited

Ingredients

for the carnitas:

• 1 (4-5 pound) lean boneless pork roast, excess fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch chunks
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

for the sauce:

• 1 cup beer (or chicken stock)
• 1 head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper

Preparation

In a medium mixing bowl, mix all sauce ingredients together.

Season pork chunks on all sides with salt and pepper.

Click the “Saute” setting on the Instant Pot. Add oil and half of the pork, and sear — turning every 45-60 seconds or so — until the pork is browned on all sides. Transfer pork to a separate clean plate, and repeat with the other half of the pork, searing until browned on all sides. Press “Cancel” to turn off the heat. Pour in the mojo sauce, and toss briefly to combine. Close lid securely and set vent to “Sealing”. Press “Meat”, then press “Pressure” until the light on “High Pressure” lights up, then adjust the up/down arrows until time reads 30 minutes. Cook. Then let the pressure release naturally, about 15 minutes. Carefully turn the vent to “Venting”, just to release any extra pressure that might still be in there. Then remove the lid.

Shred the pork with two forks. Then transfer it with a slotted spoon to a large baking sheet. Spoon about a third of the leftover juices evenly on top of the pork. Then broil for 4-5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork begin browning and crisping up. Remove the sheet from the oven, then ladle a remaining third of the juices from the Instant Pot evenly over the pork, and then give it a good toss with some tongs. Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat even more crispy. Then remove and ladle the final third of the juices over the pork, and toss to combine.

Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 large cloves garlic
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger root
• 3 scallions
• 1 pound sweet potato
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 6 ounces ground pork
• 1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation

Mince enough of the garlic to yield 1 tablespoon. Peel and mince the ginger to yield 1 tablespoon. Separate the scallion whites and greens; chop each. Peel the sweet potato, and either grate it in a food processor (cut into chunks first), cut it into matchsticks or use a spiralizer.

Whisk together the wine or dry sherry, the soy sauce or tamari, the Worcestershire sauce and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the pork and stir with a fork to incorporate.

Heat a wok or large, well­-seasoned cast-iron skillet over high heat. Drizzle in the oil so that it coats the sides of the wok. Working quickly, add the garlic, ginger and scallion whites; stir-fry for 5 seconds, then add the pork mixture and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until the pork is cooked through.

Add the sweet potato; stir-fry for about 6 minutes and try to create some crisped edges on it, if possible. Some of the sweet potato pieces will still be somewhat firm. Remove from the heat.

Divide among individual bowls. Garnish each portion with the scallion greens. Serve hot.

Washington Post

Ingredients

• 16 tortillas de maiz
• 800g (1.5 lbs) pork butt
• 1/2 pineapple
• 1 lg. onion
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 8 limes
• salt

For the axiote marinade:

• juice of 2 oranges
• 300g ground axiote (powder)
• 10 dry chiles guajillos
• 1 medium size onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp white pepper
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 stick of cinnamon

1 recipe salsa taquera

Preparation

1. Make a cut into the side of each chile guajillo, and devein them (rip out the stem and the guts) and soak them in hot water. Once they’ve hydrated and they’re soft, remove from water and place in blender. Add the vinegar, the juice of two oranges, chop up the medium sized onion and add that too. Add your garlic cloves, the cinnamon, and blend it a little. Then add the axiote, the white pepper, then blend. Then add salt to taste. Once the mix is ready, pour into a big bowl you’ll use to marinate the meat.

2. Cut your pork hiney into half steak pieces. Try to make them uniformly thick, but they don’t need to look pretty at all because we’re going to chop them all up before the end to serve in the tacos.

3. Cover each “steak” in the axiote marinade and then refrigerate them all for as long as you can afford to (at least three hours).

4. When it’s time to make dinner, start be preheating the grill.

5. Slice your 1/2 pineapple into “disks” just a bit over 1cm thick (about 1/2″). You can just cut the slices across the entire pineapple, and you don’t have to peel the outside of the pineapple off before you grill it, either.

6. With a hot grill, throw on the now-marinated pork steaks along with your pineapple pieces until both have been cooked. This should take about eight minutes, maybe a touch more. You know you’ve cooked the pineapple enough when it has become soft throughout. It’s alright if the pineapple slices get charred a bit, but do your best to keep them from burning, otherwise they will not taste good.

7. Now peel the pineapple rings off and chop the pineapple into small little cooked pieces.

8. Mince the onions, chop up the cilantro, then mix them together with the pineapple in a bowl. Take a lime and squeeze its juice into the mix and add salt to taste. Sample it to see if you need to add more lime juice.

9. Chop up the pork into little strips and pieces for filling your tacos with.

10. Make the tacos: add the meat to the tortillas first, then your pineapple-cilantro-onion mix, and then top off with your delicious authentic salsa taquera.

Authentic Mexican Recipes