Braised Chipotle Pulled Pork

Braised Chipotle Pulled Pork Fete-a-Tete

Win your way into any (wo)man’s heart by braising some meat, low and slow to tender perfection. Now take all that knowledge and get cooking this pig. The sauce has a smoky, adobe chipotle flavor that makes this an interesting twist to your normal BBQ pulled pork. Perfect to eat on its own, in a taco, or with a cool slaw.

Prep Time
Cook Time
Total
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 3 ½ - 4 lb. boneless pork shoulder or pork butt
  • 1 Tbsp. canola oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced into small ½-inch pieces
  • 2 large chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (canned, from your local grocer's Latin American section)
  • 1 Tbsp. sauce from the chipotle adobe peppers can
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 1 ½ Tbsp. ground cumin
  • 1 ½ Tbsp. ground chiptole pepper
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 28-oz can of pureed tomatoes
  • low sodium chicken stock, about ½ cup
  • salt and pepper to taste
Tips
  • Invest in a Dutch oven. They are the bomb. The braising bomb.

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Cut pork into pieces about 4 inches long, so they can all fit into the large Dutch oven together.
3. In a Dutch oven or sauce pan that is oven proof, over medium high heat, heat oil until very hot (should almost be smoking), add in pork and sear each side so that it has a nice brown color, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and reserve on a plate.
4. In the same pot, add in onions and sauté over medium low heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Once translucent, add in garlic, chipotle peppers, chipotle sauce, and all dry spices (including sugar). Stir together and cook until mixture becomes fragrant, 3 minutes.
5. Add in the apple cider vinegar, deglazing the pan and scraping away all brown bits from the bottom (this is gonna give you more of that beautiful pork flavor). Allow the vinegar to reduce by about half.
6. Add in the canned tomatoes.
7. Add pork back in, ensuring that all of the pieces are nicely covered with the sauce mixture. If the pork is exposed on the top, pour in chicken stock until the pork is covered.
8. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook in oven for approximately 3 hours, until pork is falling apart easily when prodded with a fork.
9. Once tender to fork’s touch, take each piece of pork carefully out of the sauce and reserve in a bowl to shred.
10. Place the pot back on the stove (watch out it’s hot!), uncovered and cook sauce for another 20-30 minutes, allowing it to reduce and become thicker.
11. Meanwhile, shred pork with two forks.
12. Once sauce is reduced, allow to cool and then put into a blender or food processor to puree into a smooth sauce consistency. Little by little, add sauce to pork to your desired “sauciness” (some like it more saucy than others! Remember your guests can always add more once you’re at the table).
13. Reserve left over sauce to use when serving (or freeze to keep for another meal).

 

 

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