If you say the word “Chilorio” to any Mexican, they will immediately know it comes from Sinaloa, and specifically from the city of Culiacán. Chilorio is famous nation-wide, and so popular that it is sold in cans and sealed bags all over the country and beyond.
Culiacán can reach scorching temperatures in the summer, and it is said that Chilorio - traditionally cooked with lard and vinegar - was made as a way to preserve the meat in the days before refrigeration. Usually made with pork, Chilorio can also be made with beef or chicken. The trick is to cook the pork slowly for a very long time, until it falls apart, and then you can easily shred it.
Chilorio, as its name implies, is made with chiles. Some people like it spicy, and others don’t, so you can decide how to make yours. Usually, there is a mix of dried chiles, ranging from Guajillo (or Mirasol, as it is known western Mexico) to Ancho to Chipotle, if you like a bit of spice.
Once the meat is cooked until tender, you add the sauce made with re-hydrated chiles, garlic, cumin, oregano and vinegar (I like to use a mix of rice and white vinegars, as this mixture comes closer to the flavor of Mexican white vinegar). After seasoning with salt and pepper, the mixture simmers slowly for a while, until everything is well seasoned.
As I mentioned earlier, Chilorio is made with large amounts of lard. As you can see, I did not use any in this recipe. Instead, I rendered all the fat from the pork, using that instead of adding lard.
You can serve Chilorio with scrambled eggs for breakfast, or along with potatoes as a main meal. You can also use flour tortillas to make Burritas and serve with your favorite salsa. Either way, after cooking Chilorio, you will be rewarded with one of the most satisfying and delicious meals you have ever had.
CHILORIO SINALOENSE
Pork with Dried Chiles, Sinaloa Style
3 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1” pieces
1 cup water
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp kosher salt
4 ancho chiles
2 guajillo chiles
2 pasilla chiles
6 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp Mexican oregano
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
In large Dutch oven, place pork, bay leaves, salt and 1 cup water. Cook over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Turn temperature down to low, cover partially and simmer for 1 hour, or until pork is tender. After one hour, uncover, continue to simmer and let all the liquid evaporate.
As the liquid evaporates, the pork will start rendering its fat. The fat will accumulate on the bottom, so if there is too much, you need to remove all but 2 Tbsp fat.
Continue to cook pork until it becomes crispy, and the meat becomes so tender than you can smash with the spoon and the meat starts to shred. Cook until you can shred all the meat, another 15-30 minutes.
While pork is cooking, seed and de-vein the chiles. Place in a deep bowl and top with boiling water. Cover and let them soak for 10-15 minutes, or until chiles are very soft and pliable. Fish them out of the water, and reserve a bit of the soaking liquid (about ½ cup).
Place chiles and soaking liquid in blender container, along with garlic, cumin and oregano. Blend until very smooth.
Add chile sauce to the pork and mix well. Add salt, pepper and vinegars. Mix well and simmer, stirring every few minutes, until sauce becomes a deep red color, about 15-20 minutes. If sauce starts to stick at the bottom of the pan, add a bit of water. Adjust seasoning and serve hot with flour tortillas and salsa.
Serves 6-8.