Recipes & Cooking Recipes by Ingredient Pork Pork Roast Asado de Puerco (Pork Stew) Be the first to rate & review! Most braised pork dishes cook for hours. This one is done in a fraction of the time, but you'd never guess it once you taste the rich, dried-chile sauce. By Mely Martinez Mely Martinez Mely Martinez has been writing about authentic Mexican cuisine for more than 13 years. She started with her popular website MexicoInMyKitchen.com, and recently published her award-winning cookbook "The Mexican Home Kitchen." Mely has made several appearances in magazines, TV programs, podcasts, and radio shows. She also conducts online cooking classes and serves as a consultant to chefs and restauranteurs from around the world. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on September 9, 2021 Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Carson Downing Hands On Time: 20 mins Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Servings: 6 Yield: 4 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 2 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or lard 4 dried ancho peppers 4 dried guajillo peppers 2 tablespoon white vinegar 3 garlic cloves 1 1/2-inch stick Mexican cinnamon or cinnamon 8 black peppercorns 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano or marjoram, crushed 2 bay leaves 2 whole cloves ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ½ teaspoon dried thyme ⅛ of an avocado pit (optional)* Salt, to taste Rice and/or warm corn tortillas Directions Place pork in a large stockpot and add enough water to cover meat. Cook over medium-high until meat is tender and water has evaporated, 45 to 60 minutes. (If meat isn't tender, add more water, 1/2 cup at a time, and continue cooking, checking every 15 minutes.) Add the vegetable oil and continue cooking until meat is slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a large skillet or comal (a flat griddle) over medium-high. Slice open the anchos and guajillos; seed and devein. Slightly toast 30 to 40 seconds on each side, being careful not to burn them (burned chiles will make the dish taste bitter). Place toasted chiles in a bowl; add enough hot water to cover. Soak 20 minutes; drain. In a blender combine 3/4 cup water,* half of the chiles, the vinegar, garlic, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, oregano, bay leaves, cloves, cumin seeds, thyme, and, if using, the avocado pit. Cover; blend at least 1 minute or until smooth. Add an additional 1/2 cup water; blend. Add the remaining chiles, a little at a time; blend until smooth, adding more water as needed. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into the pot with pork. Cook over medium 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Add more water as needed and season with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt. Keep heating and stirring until sauce thickens to the consistency of thick gravy, about 15 minutes. Serve with rice and/or corn tortillas. Serves 6. * Mely adds a small piece of avocado pit to this dish's blended sauce. "I find it thickens the sauce a bit, and some people think it helps temper acidity," she says. We tested with and without the pit with equally delicious results. Tips If you have a high-performance blender, blend the sauce all at once, adding 2 cups water with the toasted chiles and spices. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 261 Calories 11g Fat 5g Carbs 35g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 Calories 261 % Daily Value * Total Fat 11g 14% Saturated Fat 2g 10% Cholesterol 91mg 30% Sodium 280mg 12% Total Carbohydrate 5g 2% Protein 35g 70% Vitamin C 2.2mg 2% Calcium 24mg 2% Iron 2.4mg 13% Potassium 717mg 15% Folate, total 4.6mcg Vitamin B-12 1.3mcg Vitamin B-6 1.3mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.