Best Carne Adovada Traditional New Mexican Recipes

RANCHO DE CHIMAYó CARNE ADOVADA

Steps:

• If using whole chiles, preheat oven to 300°. Break stems off chile pods, tear pods open a little, and pull out seeds. "Wear rubber gloves if you are not used to handling chiles," Malcolm advises, since chiles can cause a burning sensation. "A few seeds add more heat, but adding a lot of them can make the sauce crunchy."
• Put chiles in a 4- to 6-qt. pot, rinse, and drain. Dry pot to use later.
• Arrange damp chiles in a single layer on two baking sheets and toast in oven until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes (they won't dry completely). Let cool, then break each chile into 2 or 3 pieces. "The time in the oven deepens the flavor, but the toasting probably goes back to cooks who had to grind the chiles by hand. Toasted pods are more brittle and easier to crush."
• Make sauce: Warm oil in 6-qt. pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. If using preground chiles, sprinkle over garlic, then gradually whisk in 3 1/2 cups water.
• If using whole chiles, purée half of them in a blender with 1 1/2 cups water until you get a thick, velvety liquid with flecks of chile pulp, about 2 minutes. Pour into pot of garlic. Repeat with remaining pods and another 1 1/2 cups water. "Use 1 more cup of water to rinse out the blender, then pour it into the pot so you get all the good chile bits."
• Stir in onion, chile pequin, oregano, and garlic salt. "The chile pequin, a hotter, smaller red chile, adds heat and texture to the sauce." Bring to a boil over medium heat, covered; then reduce heat, uncover, and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until as thick as fudge sauce. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Stir in pork, making sure all pieces of meat are coated. Cover and chill overnight.
• The next day, preheat oven to 300°. Bake, covered, until pork is fork-tender and sauce has cooked down, 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours. Stir halfway through. If the sauce looks watery after 3 1/4 hours, stir well again and cook uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and season with more garlic salt if you like.
• Make ahead: Up to 1 week, chilled (add a bit of water to reheat in oven or on stove).
• *Find ground Chimayó chiles (in limited supply) at santafeschoolofcooking.com ($25/4-oz. pkg.). Ordinary New Mexico chiles can be found at well-stocked grocery stores and Latino markets.

CARNE ADOVADA, TRADITIONAL NEW MEXICAN

Steps:

• Most recipes tell you to remove the seeds.
• Don't!
• Melt the shortening and stir in the flour.
• Heat until browned; don't let it burn.
• Crumble the chiles finely; toss them in the pot.
• Add the garlic and oregano; stir.
• Slowly stir in the water, and heat.
• Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Line an oven proof glass pan with foil.
• Place the pork in the pan; cover with the chile.
• Cover the pan.
• Let the pork sit in the chile in the refrigerator 24 hours.
• Bake the carned adovada in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours, with foil on.
• Stir occasionally.
• Add water if necessary to keep pork from burning or sticking; it should be moist but not runny when done.
• Pork should be very, very tender and falling apart when finished.
• If necessary, cook a little longer.

NEW MEXICO STYLE CARNE ADOVADA

Steps:

• On a cutting board, cut the pork into 1 1/2-inch cubes and place in a roasting pan (approximately 13 by 21-inch).
• Put the water into a blender and add the garlic, onion, salt, black pepper, oregano, chile pepper and chili powder. Blend until smooth as possible. Pour over the pork cubes and toss to coat well.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the roasting pan and place in the oven to bake for 1 1/2 hours or until fork tender.