Isthmian Chile-Garlic Sauce with Pork

Name: Isthmian Chile-Garlic Sauce with Pork (Chileajo con Puerco)
Yield: About 8 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 thick slices day-old challah or brioche, or two 8-ounce French rolls; 4 to 5 pounds pork shoulder or butt, bone in; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 8 medium ripe tomatoes; ½ teaspoon achiote paste; 12 guajillo chiles, tops and seeds removed; 3 ancho chiles, tops and seeds removed; 12 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped; ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar (optional); 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste; 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crumbled; One 1½-inch piece canela; 2 teaspoons black peppercorns; 8 bay leaves; 1 large onion, coarsely chopped; 4 cups homemade chicken stock, or more as needed; ½ teaspoon dried marjoram, crumbled; ½ teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

Chileajo con Puerco

Preparation info

About
8
servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Food and Life of Oaxaca

By Zarela Martínez

Published 1997

About

Chileajo figures prominently at weddings in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It is customary for the bride’s family to make up a big batch and send it to the groom’s family. In Oaxaca the sauce would ordinarily be served with plain shredded chicken or pork. I sometimes use this roast-pork variation. Feel free to try other main-dish sauces with pork cooked in the same way.

Ingredients

Americas
Mexico
Isthmian
Main course
Oaxaca
Gluten-free
Spicy

Ingredients

Method