Whether you spell it ADOVADA or ADOBADA, this delicious, fork tender, braised pork in New Mexico red chile is one of my absolute favorite recipes. It’s also one many of you have requested. And while there are many ways to make Carne Adovada, this is how I like it best. If you start with good chile, you don’t need to add a whole lot of other ingredients to it. Read on for the recipe.
Carne Adovada
5 lbs. pork butt/shoulder, cut into 2″ pieces
1-12 New Mexico red chile pods (choose hot, medium, or mild)
4-5 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp. Mexican oregano
1 Tbsp. cumin
salt to taste
2 bay leaves
*flour, optional
Cut pork meat into 2″ pieces, season with salt, cover and place in refrigerator while you make the chile sauce.
Remove stems and seeds from chile pods. Rinse quickly to remove any dirt. place in bowl and pour very hot water over chile pods. (I like to boil water for this part.) Let sit approx. 15 minutes so that chile rehydrates and softens. Drain water from chile, but reserve chile water for later. Place chile in blender, along with garlic, oregano, cumin, and about 1 tsp. salt. Add between 2 and 2 1/2 cups of the chile water and blend until sauce is completely smooth. (You will not have to run your chile through a sieve if you blend long enough.) Set chile aside.
In a large dutch oven (or oven-safe pot with a lid), place enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and heat on stovetop at medium high. If you choose, coat pork meat with a sprinkling of flour before frying them in pot. You don’t need to cook fully, just enough to brown all the sides. Then pour in the chile sauce. Let it reach a boil. Place bay leaves on top, cover and lower heat. Let it continue to simmer 10-15 minutes. Meantime, preheat your oven to 325º.
Then place your pot in the oven, with the lid on, and let the carne adovada braise for 2-3 hours. The longer you leave it, the more tender the meat will be.
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