Chamorro adobado – slow-baked pork shank in chilli adobo
Pork shanks slow-baked in an adobo of ancho and guajillo chillies with vinegar and spices until the meat falls from the bone and the sauce turns glossy. Served with refried beans and warm corn tortillas; in Mexico the shanks are also cooked in a pressure cooker.
- 4 hTime
- 40 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 58 gprotein per portion
- 680kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 3Ancho chiles
- 5Guajillo chiles
- 2Pork knuckles
- to tasteSalt
- 4 clovesGarlic
- ½Yellow onion
- 3 tbspVinegar
- 3 mlCumin
- 1 tspMexican oregano
- 3Cloves
- 3 mlCinnamon
- 3 mlBlack pepper
- ≈ 500 mlWater
- 1 tbspRapeseed oil
- 3Bay leaves
On the side
- 450 gRefried beans
- 12Corn tortillas
Method
- Remove the stalks and seeds from the chillies. Toast them for a few seconds per side in a hot, dry frying pan, then soak them in hot water.
- Leave the chillies to soak for 15 minutes, until soft.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 160 °C. Rinse the shanks, pat dry, season with salt and put them in a deep roasting dish.
- Drain the chillies and blend them with the garlic, onion, vinegar, cumin, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, pepper and water into a smooth adobo.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and pour in the adobo – careful, it spits. Cook, stirring, for 5–8 minutes, until thickened and darker. Season with salt.
- Pour the adobo over the shanks, add the bay leaves and cover the dish tightly with foil.
- Bake for 3 hours, turning the shanks halfway, until the meat comes away from the bone.
- Remove the foil, turn the oven up to 200 °C and bake for 20 minutes more, basting once with the sauce, until glazed.
- Meanwhile, warm the refried beans with a splash of water, and the tortillas in a dry frying pan.
- Serve the shanks whole or halved, with their sauce, the beans and the tortillas.
