Red Chile Pulled Pork Tacos (Tacos de Chilorio)

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (usually sold as a pork shoulder roast, though you may find it called Boston butt or pork for stew if it’s already cut up), trimmed of about half the noticeable fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 4 medium (2 ounces total) dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large pieces
• 4 garlic cloves garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin, preferably freshly ground
• 2 tablespoons vinegar (cider vinegar is common in Mexico)
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons rich-tasting lard or vegetable oil
• 12 warm corn or flour tortillas
• About ¾ cup salsa (a bold one like Arbol Tomatillo Salsa is good here)
• About ¾ cup chopped white onion and cilantro

Make the seasoning

1. 1

   In a blender, combine the orange juice, ancho chile, garlic, oregano, black pepper, cumin, vinegar and 1½ teaspoons salt. Blend until smooth.

Cook the pork

1. 2

   Using a pressure cooker (like an Instant Pot): Pour the seasoning mixture through a medium-mesh strainer into the cooker, stir in the pork, lock the lid in place and cook on high for 30 minutes; let pressure naturally subside for 15 minutes, then release. In a slow cooker: Spread the pork pieces over the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker, then pour the chile mixture through a medium-mesh sieve over the meat; cover and cook on high for 4 hours, until the meat is fall-apart tender. On the stove top: Strain the seasoning through a medium-mesh sieve into a 4-quart saucepan, add ½ cup water, stir in the pork, partially cover and cook over medium to medium-low (there should just be a gentle simmer) until the meat is completely tender, about 1½ hours; add more water if the meat starts peeking out. Let cool in the liquid if time allows.

Finish the chilorio

1. 3

   Remove meat from the liquid. Use a fork or fingers to break the pork into coarse shreds. In a very large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high, heat the lard or oil. When hot, add the pork in a single layer. Cook until the meat is brown, stirring occasionally, 3 or 4 minutes. Add ½ cup of the cooking liquid (you may want to spoon off excess fat that has risen to the top) and cook, stirring regularly, until reduced nearly to a glaze. Taste and season with salt, usually about a generous ½ teaspoon. Serve with warm tortillas, salsa and the onion-cilantro mixture.

2. 4

   Note: if you end up with more than ½ cup of braising liquid, boil it over high heat until reduced to ½ cup.