Carne Adobado is the piece de resistance of Colonial New Mexican cooking. Have  you ever eaten it--or made it?  Carne for short is a pork dish with a robust, but not too spicy sauce that is very popular in New Mexico and not well known out of the state.  When I had the Pecos River Cafe in New York City, we served it as a special regularly and we never could make enough.

We just laid in a nice quantity of our Caribe Chile, which is a must for Carne and we have loads of our always fresh Cumin.  I am placing the Caribe Chile on a half-price or 50% off sale and a 25% discount on the Cumin.   

The history of the dish is that the early Spanish settlers brought hogs with them among other staples and were in a dilemma when it came  how to preserve the meat when they would butcher a 500 pound or so hog.  (In those days there was no refrigeration or ice in the summer time.) The nearby Pueblo Indians told them how they would preserve a deer or other large animal whenever they were lucky enough to kill one.  

They would make a thick, seasoned, red Chile  sauce and thickly spread it over the entire carcass--inside and out and bury the Chile laden meat in the clean hide, several feet below the ground and it would keep for months that way.  (Just a reminder, red Chile is the world's best natural preservative.) 

I thought you might like to make some.  The best recipe, which follows is for 5.5 pounds of pork shoulder.  So if you make a batch--you can divide it into meal sized quantities and freeze them.  You can make the best Tacos or open faced Tostados, eat it as an entree or even use it in other Mexican style dishes such as enchiladas or quesadillas, etc.  We do make Carne in our Red Chile day classes, weekend and week long classes.

When I get back from our Culinary tour to Oaxaca--I will resume regular day classes, a week long and a weekend class series. Following is our summer schedule.  We are also giving some private classes.

June 26, Green Chile Fiesta

July 22, Taco Party

August 7, Green Chile Fiesta

August 21, Southwestern Grilling

     (Each above class starts at 5 PM

July 7 - 11, week long class

July 25 - 27 weekend class

Below is my favorite Carne recipe.  Make the full recipe--it does not divide very well.

CARNE ADOBADA

(Pork with Red Chile Sauce)

This is one of the best, if not the very best-tasting, pork creations from northern New Mexico. Traceable back to Conquistador days, this dish has somehow never gained favor outside of New Mexico. I think it is because crushed caribe chiles are hard to find outside the area. I always make a full five-pound recipe because I like to have lots available for burritos, tacos, and enchiladas, or to serve over rice, beans or eggs.

Yield: 10-12 servings

1/2 cup crushed caribe chile

1/4 cup ground mild chile

1/4 cup ground hot chile

3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried leaf Mexican oregano

2 teaspoons salt

4 cups water

5-1/2 pounds bone-in pork shoulder, cut into ½ inch thick chops (trimmed so as to keep a narrow layer of fat around the edges)

1. Process all the ingredients except pork in a blender or food processor. Pour into a flat-bottomed glass baking dish. Dip each pork chop into the marinade and lay to one side of the baking dish as you coat the rest. Let marinate 30 minutes at room temperature, periodically spooning chile mixture over the top and turning chops over. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (The pork can be frozen for up to 3 months at this point.)

2. In the morning, stir and coat each pork chop with chile sauce. Stir and coat again. Preheat oven to 325F (165C). Cover pan with lid or foil; bake chops, covered for the first 45 minutes.

3.Remove cover and bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours longer, spooning the sauce over chops every 30 minutes. Let cool. Using a sharp knife, remove bones and pull meat apart with your fingers to shred the pork. Place shredded meat back in the baking dish. Bake 30 minutes to allow the sauce to cook into pork. When done, the meat should be a bright rosy red color and very tender.

Reprinted with permission from Jane Butel’s Southwestern Kitchen.