Citrus Rojo Pork

I made this roast pork as a base for my Citrus Pozole Rojo soup. Traditionally one would use more of the dried peppers to get the red color in the soup, but I decided to drop the heat a bit, and I added achiote to help turn the pork more of a red hue. Once the pork is cooked and tender, I usually will puree the braising liquid and use it for either a soup base, or as a base for sauces.

When using dried chilies it's always a good idea to toast them prior to using them. This helps crisp them up, making them easier to seed, and it helps enhance the flavor a touch.

I prefer to use bone-in pork shoulder and it holds the pork together a little bit better than bones, and it imparts flavor into the braising liquid. Normally after the pork is braised I'll remove it from the blade, and add the blade to my soup to help further enhance the flavor.

Enjoy.

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Ingredients

• pork butt, bone-in 3-4 lbs

• lime, zest and juice 1 ea

• mandarins, zested and juiced 2 ea

• onion, julienned 1 ea

• garlic cloves, smashed 4 ea

• extra virgin olive oil 2 T

• salt 3 T

• mustard powder 1 T

• adobo spice 1 T

• New Mexico chili powder 1 T

• guajillo chili powder 1 T

• chicken stock 2 qt

• achiote pack (Sazon Goya) 2 ea

• chili de arbol, dried* 3 ea

• cascilla nego chili, dried* 3 ea

• cascabel chili, dried* 3 ea

*each of the chilies I used has a slightly different profile. The arbol is the hottest, while the other two have more of a smokey earthy flavor, and a touch of heat. If you want a spicier version, increase your arbols.

Method of Procedure

1. Score your pork shoulder and marinate it with all ingredients except chicken stock, and dried chilies, overnight.

2. The next day, toast your chilies at 350 for 5-7 minutes until they begin to get aromatic. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the seeds. Using gloves is a good idea, as it's easy to get oil on your hands and spread it to other parts of your body.

3. While preparing your chilies, sear your pork.

4. Once the pork is seared, add your chicken stock and peppers then bring to a quick boil.

5. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 2-3 hours until tender.

6. Remove the pork from the broth and cool.

7. Puree the braising liquid and ingredients and reserve for further use.