BRAISED PORK

Another recipe from SALT FAT ACID HEAT.  The recipe calls for Pork shoulder, but we made it with pork cheeks, which worked really well.  No matter what meat you’re cooking, just keep simmering it until it falls off the bone.  meltingly delicious.

Ingredeints 

Sunflower oil

500 g pork cheeks

1 medium yellow onions, sliced

half  head garlic, sliced through the equator

1 can of whole tomatoes.

1 tablespoons cumin seed

1 bay leaves

4 dried chiles, such as Guajillo, New Mexico, Anaheim, or Ancho, stemmed, seeded and rinsed

600 ml of lager

roughly chopped coriander for garnish

Optional: add 1 tablespoon smoky paprika or 2 smoked peppers, such as Chipotle Morita or Pasilla de Oaxaca to the braise

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C.

Set a large heavy based pan on medium-high heat.  When it’s warm, add 1 tablespoon oill.  When the oil shimmers, place the pork in the pan.  Brown it evenly on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.

When the meat is brown, remove it and set it aside.  Tip out the fat from the pan.  Return the pan to the stove, reduce the heat to medium, and add 1 tablespoon of oil.  Cook the onions and garlic over until they are tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and juice, cumin, bay leaves, and dried chilies into the pot and stir. Nestle pork atop the aromatic base, and add enough beer to come 1½ inches up the sides of the meat.  Make sure the peppers and bay leaves are mostly immersed in the juices so that they do not burn.

Increase heat and bring to a boil, then slip the pot, uncovered, into the oven.  After 30 minutes, check to make sure the liquid is just barely simmering.  About every 30 minutes, turn the pork over and check the level of the liquid, adding more beer as needed. Cook until the meat is tender and falls apart at the touch of a fork 4 hours.

Remove the cooked pork from the oven and carefully remove it from the pan.  Using a food mill or whizzing machine, puree the aromatics and strain them through a sieve.  Skim the fat from the sauce and then taste, adjusting salt as needed.

Serve  shredded and combine it with the sauce to make pork tacos. Garnish with chopped cilantro to serve.  We serve them with red onion and cucumber pickle, re fried beans and kimchi.