Dinner Recipes
Braised Pork & Ancho Chile Mole
An elevated take on Mexican street food, this dish pairs bright, fresh cherries with traditional Mexican flavors like ancho and chipotle chiles. Dark chocolate, earthy nuts, strong brewed coffee, pungent vinegar, and warm spices give the sauce a rich, tangy, spicy-sweet complexity. The pork braises slowly, soaking up all that flavor, until it’s incredibly tender and shreds with a fork. We love to serve it as tacos with simple toppings like fresh cilantro and red onions to let the richness of the meat take center stage. It makes the perfect Sunday dinner and is absolutely phenomenal on game day.
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Dinner
Braised Pork & Ancho Chile Mole
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 ½ oz ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
1 lb dark cherries, pitted and halved
½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
¼ cup whole almonds, toasted
1 oz dark chocolate, chopped
2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning pork
1 tsp Gelson’s ground cumin
¼ tsp Gelson’s ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground allspice
1 pinch ground clove
1 dash freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup strong brewed coffee, hot
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 lbs lean pork shoulder, cut into 2” to 3” cubes
Corn tortillas, warm, for serving
Red onion, thinly sliced, for serving
Cilantro leaves, for serving
Directions
- To make the mole sauce: Place the ancho chiles in a small saucepan over medium heat, cover with water, and bring to a simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until the chiles are soft and darker in color. Set the chiles aside and discard the water.
- In a food processor, combine the ancho chiles, cherries, onion, chipotle chiles, almonds, chocolate, salt, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, clove, and nutmeg. Pulse repeatedly, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the sauce is smooth, about 1 minute.
- In a liquid measuring cup, combine the coffee and vinegar. While the food processor is running, pour the mixture through the top of the food processor. Blend until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Note: Mole sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- To braise the pork: Preheat oven to 350°. Pat the pork dry and season all sides with salt.
- In a 9x13” pan or large Dutch oven, combine the pork and mole sauce. Stir to coat. Cover with aluminum foil or a lid and braise in the oven for about 3 hours or until the meat becomes tender and falls apart.
- Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred the pork and toss to coat in the sauce.
- Serve the pork mole on tortillas and garnish with red onion and cilantro. Leftover pork can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe source: Food52