Chili Braised Pork
Chili-braised pork with orange is didh where the pork is slowly cooked, or “braised” with a combo of red chilies and orange to create a flavorful and flakey meat with a sauce that is sweet and spicy. We use pork shoulder, which becomes fall-apart tender, and is flavored with a blend of dried chiles, orange juice, and other spices like cumin and oregano. Serve with tortillas to soak up that sauce.
This braised pork in red chile sauce is made by slowly cooking pork butt in a smoky, spicy homemade ancho chili sauce. You’ll want to have plenty of tortillas on hand to soak up that sauce. This is a fun weekend dish to serve for company. You can also serve it with hot crunchy bread.
This recipe is inspired by, and adapted from, carne adovada, a New Mexican red chile and pork dish.
My daughter recently made this recipe, and added additional ingredients like raisins, orange juice, tomato paste, and cinnamon sticks, for a sweeter, more complex product, reminiscent of a mole. It’s a balance of savory, sweet, and spicy notes. The oranges provide a sweet and tangy citrus flavor, while the chiles add heat.
The pork is slow-cooked using the braising method, either in an oven or a slow cooker, which makes the meat extremely tender.
Ingredients for Chile Braised Pork
- Pasilla/ancho chiles + guajillo chiles + chile negro,+ chile costeño
- Raisins
- Orange juice
- Coconut sugar or brown sugar
- Kosher salt
- Apple cider vinegar
- Boneless Boston Butt (pork shoulder)
- White onion
- Neutral oil
- Garlic
- Tomato paste
- Cumin + coriander
- Mexican cinnamon sticks
- Bay leaves
How do you make Braised Pork recipe:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- If toasting the chilies (see tip below), do it now. Allow the chilis to cool slightly before removing stems and seeds inside.
- Boil 3 cups of water; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the seeded and stemmed chilis with the hot water. Soak for 30 minutes until the skins have softened—you can place a weighted bowl on top to keep the chilies submerged, or stir occasionally.
- Place cut pork into a large bowl and set aside.
- Transfer the chilis and 2 cups of the soaking liquid, to a blender, along with the soaked raisins (drained), orange juice, coconut sugar, 2 tsp salt, and vinegar. Blend until smooth. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the puree for serving and 1/4 cup to marinate the pork—in total, you’ll set aside 3/4 cup of marinade.
- Add about 1/2 cup of water to the blender and swirl, to clean out remaining marinade. Pour the liquid over the pork, along with 1/4 cup of the reserved chile puree (you’ll still have 1/2 cup set aside after this) and 2 tsp kosher salt. Toss to evenly coat, then cover and place in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.
- While the pork marinates, add 2 Tbsp neutral oil to a large, heavy bottom, oven safe stock pot, or a 5-7 quart Dutch oven. Heat over medium, then add the onions. Cook for about 10 minutes or until softened, then add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, and cinnamon sticks, and cook for 30 seconds or so until fragrant. Add the bay leaves, remaining chile puree, (still reserving ½ cup for later), and marinated pork—stir to coat.
- Cover and cook for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the pork is fork tender. When the pork is just tender, remove top of the pot, stir, and return to the oven for 75-90 more minutes. Remove from the oven, stir in the remaining ½ cup of puree, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
Tips and substitutions:
Tips for toasting the chilies: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, toast the chilies until fragrant and lightly darkened in color. The texture of the skin will become softer and more pliable as they heat. Transfer to a bowl and repeat, until all chilies are fragrant and toasted. You can also toast the cinnamon sticks for 3-4 minutes, if desired. Allow the chilies to cool slightly before removing stems and seeds inside.
Boston pork butt is the upper, fattier portion of the pork shoulder.
If you can’t find a variety of dried chilis, simply use 5.5 oz of what is available, preferably pasilla and ancho chilies. Obviously, using different combinations will change the flavor profile of the marinade, because each chili has its own unique taste, but it will still be delicious!
Toppings to Serve on Braised Pork?
Here are the toppings that we love to serve with this pork!
- Sour cream
- Cilantro to garnish
- Lime
- Avocado
- Grilled corn
- Pickled red onion
- Shredded Oaxaca cheese
- Tortillas
How to serve this spiced tender pork
- Serve this succulent spiced pork at the table with a pair of tongs (perfect for pulling off small pieces), or shred it in the kitchen and place on a platter.
- Serve with creamy Oaxacan cheese and avocado, tangy sour cream, fresh lime, bright cilantro and pickled red onion, and sweet, crisp corn.
- You’ll want to put the tender leftovers of this juicy pork on everything, including tacos, sandwiches, nachos and wraps!
Lastly, this dish, as with most braises and stews recipes, gets more delicious as it sits, making it perfect for weeknight leftovers.
More pork recipes to try:
- 2-Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Verde
- Juicy Grilled Pork Chops
- Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
- Pork Meatballs in Aromatic Broth
Get the Recipe:
Chile Pork Braise Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 oz pasilla/ancho chilis, seeded
- 1 oz guajillo chiles, seeded
- 1 oz chile negro, seeded
- 1 oz chile costeño, seeded
- ⅔ c raisins, soaked
- ½ c orange juice
- ¼ c coconut sugar or 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, or white
- 4 c water, divided
- 6-7 lb boneless Boston Butt pork shoulder, cut into 1 ½’’ cubes, excess fat removed
- 4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp coriander
- 2 medium Mexican cinnamon sticks or ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2-3 bay leaves
Toppings to serve
- Sour cream
- Cilantro to garnish
- Lime
- Avocado
- Grilled corn
- Pickled red onion
- Shredded Oaxaca cheese
Equipment
- Braiser
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Optional Toasting the Chilies: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, toast the chilies until fragrant and lightly darkened in color. The texture of the skin will become softer and more pliable as they heat. Transfer to a bowl and repeat, until all chilis are fragrant and toasted. You can also toast the cinnamon sticks for 3-4 minutes, if desired. Allow the chilis to cool slightly before removing stems and seeds inside.
- Boil 3 cups of water; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the seeded and stemmed chilis with the hot water. Soak for 30 minutes until the skins have softened—you can place a weighted bowl on top to keep the chilies submerged, or stir occasionally.
- Place cut pork into a large bowl and set aside.
- Transfer the chilis and 2 cups of the soaking liquid, to a blender, along with the soaked raisins (drained), orange juice, coconut sugar, 2 tsp salt, and vinegar. Blend until smooth. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the puree for serving and 1/4 cup to marinate the pork—in total, you’ll set aside 3/4 cup of marinade.
- Add about ½ cup of water to the blender and swirl, to clean out remaining marinade. Pour the liquid over the pork, along with ¼ cup of the reserved chile puree (you’ll still have 1/2 cup set aside after this) and 2 tsp kosher salt. Toss to evenly coat, then cover and place in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.
- While the pork marinates, add 2 Tbsp neutral oil to a large, heavy bottom, oven safe stock pot, or a 5-7 quart Dutch oven. Heat over medium, then add the onions. Cook for about 10 minutes or until softened, then add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, and cinnamon sticks, and cook for 30 seconds or so until fragrant. Add the bay leaves, remaining chile puree, (still reserving ½ cup for later), and marinated pork—stir to coat.
- Cover and cook for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the pork is fork tender. When the pork is just tender, remove top of the pot, stir, and return to the oven for 75-90 more minutes. Remove from the oven, stir in the remaining ½ cup of puree, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Serve warm with cheese, sour cream, lime, avocado, corn, pickled red onion, and cilantro.
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
