Slow Cooker Orange Chipotle Pulled Pork

Tender and juicy slow cooker pulled pork flavored with fresh orange juice, smoky chipotle peppers, garlic, and Mexican piloncillo.

Making pulled pork at home needn't be difficult at all with a little help from your slow cooker. Just mix everything together, put it in your crock pot and let it simmer for a few hours until the meat is so tender and juicy it practically melts in your mouth.

I love making pulled pork because it's a no-fuss recipe, it feeds a crowd, and the combination of flavors is finger-lickin' good! This particular pulled pork recipes is flavored with fresh orange juice, chipotle peppers, garlic, and piloncillo. Oh, and did I mention that it's super versatile too? Pulled pork can be served on it's own with sides like Chili Beans, Macaroni & Cheese, Mexican Rice, and Ensalada de Elote (Mexican street corn salad)--just to name a few--but it can also be served as a filling for tacos, tostadas, burritos, or sandwiches.

Orange Chipotle Pulled Pork 


Ingredients:
2 cups orange juice
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup grated piloncillo or light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
2-1/2 to 3 lb. pork shoulder roast


Directions:
Puree orange juice, chipotle peppers, and garlic in a blender until smooth. Pour puree into a medium bowl. Season orange chipotle mixture with brown sugar, salt, ground cumin, and black pepper.

Arrange the onion slices along the bottom of the slow cooker. Place pork shoulder roast on top of the onion slices. Pour orange chipotle sauce over meat. Cover and cook over low heat for 6 to 8 hours or until tender. When meat is fully cooked, shred using two forks. Serve as a filling for tacos, burritos, tostadas, or sandwiches/sliders. Enjoy!

Tip: For a sweeter pulled pork, substitute Tampico brand citrus punch or orange-flavored Fanta for the orange juice.

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06 February 2017

Slow Cooker Orange Chipotle Pulled Pork

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Austin Style Black Beans

I'm still waiting for my advanced copy of The Homesick Texan Cookbook to arrive in the mail (Mexican mail takes a while.), but already Lisa Fain has managed to change my mind about a certain ingredient. 

Beans are probably the most important staple in the Mexican diet.  Depending on where you live in Mexico determines your bean of choice.  Here in Jalisco, the bean of choice is peruano (peruvian).  It's the bean my suegra (mother-in-law) and I always have on hand and it's my hubby's favorite.  But we also like Tejano and Flor de Junio.    

I was raised on pinto beans.  Both my Mexican grandparents and my Southern great-grandmother always had a pot of pinto beans brewing on the stove.  Pappy would serve his Frijoles de la Olla with chopped onion and dried oregano.  My great-grandma Pearl served her soupy pinto beans on top of a buttered slice of cornbread.  (Swoon!)

The one bean we weren't too crazy about was black beans.  My experience with black beans was limited to the 40-day period after my children were born.  My suegra would brew me a pot of black beans because it's believed that they're better for both the mom and the nursing baby during those crucial first weeks.  They were good, but nothing swoon worthy.  Hubby never even attempted to try them.

Occasionally a couple of stray black beans make their way into my Peruanos and I leave them in for good luck.  Whoever finds the "lucky" black bean gets to wash the dishes.  Oddly enough, none of my kiddies have ever found the "lucky" bean.

Enter The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off hosted by my friend, Girlichef.   When I saw that one of the recipe choices this week was for Austin Stlye Black Beans, I thought to myself that it was high time to give these little beans another chance.

The recipe sounded good enough.  Chipotle peppers, cilantro, onion and garlic.  You can't go wrong with ingredients like those.  The only thing I wasn't too sure about was adding lime juice to cooked beans, but I soon found out that there was nothing to worry about.  These Austin Style Black Beans were so amazing, I can't believe I ever underestimated their deliciousness.

Not only did I love them, but so did Hubby, the kiddies, my suegra AND my dentist!   (What?  You don't have breakfast with your dentist every morning?)  

I will definitely be making these again, soon!!!

Austin Style Black Beans
(from The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. dried black beans
• 1 tablespoon manteca (lard) or vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 canned chipotles
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chipotle adobo sauce
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• Salt (to taste)

Directions:
Clean the beans by discarding any rocks or shriveled beans.  Rinse the beans with cold water to remove any dirt.

Place the beans in a large pot.  Cover with about 6 cups of water.  (You want enough water to cover the beans by one inch.)  

Bring to a boil over high heat and let cook for 15 minutes.  Drain and rinse the beans.

In a large pot  (I used the same one I cooked the beans in.) heat the manteca or vegetable oil.  Add the onion and carrot and saute for about 8 minutes or until the onion is transluscent.  Stir in the garlic and let cook 30 seconds.

Return the beans to the pot along with the chopped chipotle peppers and cilantro.  Cover with 8 cups of water and bring to boil over high heat.  (You want the beans covered with about 2-inches of water.)  Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 90 minutes.  (The instructions say to simmer uncovered, but I'm a rebel and went ahead and covered them anyway!)

Add remaining cilantro, cumin, adobo sauce and lime juice; season with salt.  Mash some of the beans with the back of a large spoon to thicken the bean broth.  Cook uncovered 30 minutes.  Enjoy!!!

*This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef.

02 September 2011

Austin Style Black Beans

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Tilapia en Salsa de Crema con Chipotle (Poached Tilapia in a Creamy Chipotle Sauce)

That title sounds fancy doesn't it? This recipe was actually a last-minute creation.  I was going to make Tilapia al Mojo de Ajo, but hubby walked in to say that he was in the mood for something saucy! I opened my fridge to see what ingredients I had on hand to make a quick sauce.  The first things I noticed were the chipotle peppers and the Mexican crema. Hmmmm... I pureed them together and poached some tilapia steaks in the sauce and voila...this lovely dish was born. It was an instant hit with my hubby and kiddies.  And I'm sure it will be a big hit in your house too!

Tilapia en Salsa de Chipotle



Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup Mexican Crema or Sour Cream
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 
• 6 tilapia steaks/fillets 

Directions:
Puree the Mexican crema and chipotle peppers in a blender until smooth, set aside. Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the the onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the Mexican crema and chipotle sauce; season lightly with salt and pepper. Once sauce begins to bubble, reduce heat and add the tilapia steaks.  Cover and reduce heat to low heat, let simmer for 15 minutes or until fish is completely cooked. Serve with Mexican rice and plenty of warm corn tortillas.  Enjoy!!!

26 March 2010

Tilapia en Salsa de Crema con Chipotle (Poached Tilapia in a Creamy Chipotle Sauce)

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Fish Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

Fish tacos!  (Sigh)  I cannot find the words to express how much I love Fish Tacos.

It was love at first bite, one summer in Ensenada, many years ago.

The fish wasn't coated with a heavy batter.  It had a light, crispy coating.  And the salsa, wasn't a salsa at all.  It was a simple mixture of Mexican crema and canned chipotle peppers.   There was also a delicious Pico de Gallo in the colors of the Mexican flag, that offered a cool texture and even more flavor to the tacos.

Whenever I make these tacos, I am reminded of that summer vacation.  (Sigh!) 

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 to 2 serrano chilies, chopped

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

 

Mix until well combined.  Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

 

Crema de Chipotle

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
• 2 chipotles in adobo sauce

Directions:

Place sour cream and chipotles in a blender cup.

 

Puree until smooth.  Pour into a small serving bowl and set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

 

Tacos de Pescado

(Fish Tacos) 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 4 tilapia steaks, cut in strips
• Corn Tortillas
• Shredded Lettuce or Cabbage
• Lime wedges
• Pico de Gallo
• Crema de Chipotle

Directions:

Pour milk into a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

  

Place flour on  a plate; season with salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Set aside.

  

Season tilapia strips with salt and pepper.

  

Dip tilapia strips in milk.

  

Coat tilapia strips with flour.

  

Brown tilapia in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

  

Cook until golden brown on both sides.

  

To serve, place 1 to 2 strips of tilapia in center of a warm corn tortilla.  Squeeze lime juice over tilapia.

 

Garnish with shredded lettuce, Pico de Gallo and Crema de Chipotle.  Enjoy!!!

 

 With Love,

19 February 2010

Fish Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

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Albondigas al Chipotle & Tortas Gemma

The first Twosday (and recipe) of 2010 is all about Chile Chipotle.  Chipotle peppers are actually smoked-dried jalapeño peppers.  My favorites are the canned Chipotles in Adobo Sauce.  The smoky flavor of the chilies and the spice of the adobo are a perfect combination.

One of my favorite ways to use Chipotle is in a sauce.  The sauce is made with tomatoes, dried ancho chilies and chipotles.  I first fell in love with this sauce when I had my first Torta Gemma.  The sauce was so good, I had to find other ways to use it in my recipes.  Thus, my Albondigas al Chipotle (Chipotle Meatballs) were born.

Albondigas al Chipotle

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs, plain
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped 
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 10 to 12 roma tomatoes
• 2 dried ancho chilies
• 2 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo 

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the ground pork, ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, onion and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.  Mix ingredients until well combined.  

 Shape meat mixture into 1-1/2 inch balls.  Place on a plate and refrigerate until ready to use.

Place the tomatoes and dried ancho chilies in a medium saucepan or pot.  Fill saucepan with enough water to cover the tomatoes.  Bring to boil, over high heat.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Remove the stems and seeds from the chilies.  Place cooked chilies in a blender cup with the chipotles.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked tomatoes to the blender cup.  Puree the chilies and tomatoes until smooth.

Pour puree mixture into a 2 quart saucepan.  Add 1-1/2 cups of the liquid in which the tomatoes were cooked.  Season with salt and mix well.

Brink sauce to a boil over medium heat.  Carefully add the meatballs to the sauce.  Cover and let simmer over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.  Serve over cooked spaghetti or Sopa de Arroz Blanco (white rice). Enjoy!

For a Torta de Albondigas al Chipotle (Chipotle Meatball Sandwich) serve meatballs and sauce over a toasted bolillo roll.  Top with your favorite cheese (I like queso fresco and/or Oaxaca cheese.) and broil in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts.  Top with fresh chopped cilantro.  Enjoy!

*The meatballs can be prepared with ground chicken or turkey.

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Tortas Gemma: 

Guadalajara, Jalisco's state capital, is famous for its Tortas Ahogadas (drowned sandwiches).  It's a sandwich made with refried beans and Carnitas, served on a bolillo roll, and drowned in a sauce made with tomatoes and chile de arbol.

But the Torta Ahogada isn't the only kind of drowned sandwich available in Jalisco.  Let me introduce you to my favorite..La Torta Gemma.

Tortas Gema, are prepared with Mexican crema, shredded pork, lettuce, tomato and onion on a bolillo roll, smothered in a tomato, ancho chile and chipotle sauce. 

Torta Gema (Shredded Pork Sandwich)

Ingredients: 

• 2 lbs. pork stew meat 
• 1/2 medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6 to 8 sprigs fresh cilantro 
• 12 roma tomatoes
• 2 dried ancho chilies
• 2 chipotle peppers
• 6 bolillo rolls
• Mexican Crema or Sour Cream
• Shredded lettuce
• Sliced tomato
• Sliced onion

Directions:
Cut the pork shoulder roast into 1-inch slices.  Place it in a 2-quart saucepan with the onion, garlic, and cilantro.  Season with salt.  Fill the saucepan with just enough water to cover the pork meat.  Bring to boil over high heat.  Cover and reduce heat to medium, and let simmer until the meat is very tender. (About 60 to 90 minutes.)  Let meat cool slightly, then shred.


While the meat is cooking, place the 12 tomatoes and dried ancho chilies in a medium saucepan.  Fill saucepan with enough water to cover tomatoes.  Bring to boil over medium heat.  Let cool slightly.  Remove stems and seeds from cooked chilies.  Place the cooked chilies and tomatoes in a blender cup with the chipotles; puree until smooth.  Pour tomato puree into a medium saucepan with 1-1/2 cups of the liquid in which the tomatoes were cooked.  Season with salt.  Bring sauce to boil over medium heat.


To assemble the tortas, cut the bolillo rolls in half lengthwise.  Spread Mexican Crema on cut sides of bolillo.  Top one half of the bolillo roll with shredded pork, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato and onion. Cover with the other half of bolillo.  Ladle sauce over your torta. and voilá...you have a delicious Torta Gema!  Enjoy!!!

 

05 January 2010

Albondigas al Chipotle & Tortas Gemma

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