Late last fall I stumbled across another recipe for a family’s Christmas season tamales (Bon Appetit); not just any family’s tamale recipe, but that of Austin-native and food impresario Rick Martinez.
We whipped up a batch of tamales using this Red Chile Braised Pork recipe, and modesty aside, scout’s honor, and all other hyperbole laid to rest, they were the best any of us had ever had, bar none.
After some tweaking around the edges (varying the pepper profile a little, adding a bit more pork shoulder, and a tiny bit of sweet in the form of brown sugar), this version below is the one we’ve been reaching for again and again over the past few months.
The red chile flavor profile is stunningly good given all the different nuances the various peppers bring to the table and the pork belly adds so much to the final product in terms of richness, flavor, and texture.
This pork will make the best tamale filling you’ve ever imagined might come out of your kitchen, though we’ve been eating it lots of other places too – in soft and hard tacos, as part of heuvos rancheros, on tostadas, nachos, and even piled on a toasted bun with a spicy slaw a la a Southern pulled pork sandwich.
Most of the time involved here is letting a slow braise in your trusty dutch oven work its magic; round up the peppers and give this one a spin – it’s a keeper.
1 tbsp bacon drippings
1 large onion, chopped fine
12-13 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
9 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 morita chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp coriander seeds
3 tbsp cumin seeds
8-10 garlic cloves, prepped
2 tsp Mexican oregano, picked and crushed
1-2 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 lb pork belly, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
2 lb boneless pork shoulder, trimmed, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2-3 tbsp good kosher salt
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Heat the bacon drippings in your trusty dutch oven and sauté the onion until softened and beginning to brown a bit; add all the prepped chiles and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 45 minutes to soften the chiles.
While the chiles are soaking, toast the coriander seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, adding the cumin seeds for the last 40 seconds. Cool, then grind.
Pour the chile mixture into your trusty blender, adding the toasted spices, garlic, brown sugar, and the crumbled oregano; puree until smooth.
Into your dutch oven go both meats, the chile puree (reserve 1/3 of a cup or so if you’re making tamales), the bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil on the stove, cover, and place in a 250 degree oven for 2.5 to 3 hours, stirring at least once, until the meat is falling apart.
Cool for 15-20 minutes, skim the fat, fish out the bay leaves, and shred the meat, stirring often to mix well into that magic sauce. Finally, stir in the vinegar, pack it up and let it cool.
Your pot of red gold is now ready for tamales, tacos, tostadas, even enchiladas – though you’ll be tempted to eat by the bowl-full right out of the dutch oven.
Enjoy.
