As we turn the corner from late fall into early winter, here’s one to help you beat back the crush of winter’s hand – Puerco Guisada, a south Texas / Mexico inspired take on the spicy ‘meat in gravy’ stew (carne guisada) gracing every worthy taco stand from Austin to the southern border in Texas.
One might certainly argue this dish is traditionally made with beef (carne guisada) – and you can certainly do that by exchanging the pork with a cut of chuck or bottom round – though the pork version seems a tad lighter and sweeter to us.
This puerco guisada is another one of those recipes that are so simple they’re child’s play, thought there are a couple of caveats to note. Flavors are dramatically improved by actually browning the meat in the oil up front; if you overcrowd the meat it steams and doesn’t brown. Browning in two or three batches works wonders and leaves a hoard of those tasty browned ‘pan crispins’ behind to scrape up and flavor the stew.
The other caveat pertains to the peppers; jalapenos and serranos can very dramatically in their heat level. Cut off a small chip of the pepper and touch it to your tongue to get an idea about the heat; the last two jalapenos I picked out of the bin were searingly hot, so we left out the serranos on that batch (even though they add a slightly different heat and flavor pattern).
This Puerco Guisada makes for a killer bowl of spicy goodness standing alone (with a few toppings of course) and it makes a mouth-watering taco or burrito too. We’ve even been known to use it to make a puerco guisada huevos rancheros for breakfast when special company is in the house.
4ish pounds of pork shoulder or loin, trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 tbsp avocado oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded, and diced
2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
14-oz can diced tomatoes with liquid or 3 fresh tomatoes with seeds and core, diced
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp good chili powder
2 tsp (preferably Mexican) oregano
1/2 cup chopped cilantro or more
2 bay leaves
2 cups of water
1 bottle cerveza (Corona or Negro Modelo for the spirit of things)
Optional: 1 tbsp masa if needed for thickening
In your trusty dutch oven, heat 1/3 of the oil over medium high heat and brown 1/3 of the meat; remove to a plate and repeat to brown all the meat.
Add a splash of oil if needed, and sauté the onions and peppers until soft; then add the garlic, and cook, stirring now and again, for another couple of minutes.
Now add the pork back to the dutch oven, along with the tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, water and beer. Stir until well combined, turn up the heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently.
Now turn down to a simmer and let it go low and slow for 4 to 5 hours, stirring once an hour; you’ll notice the pork begins to tenderize and break down a bit, thickening the mixture as the water cooks off. (You can always add the masa at the end to thicken it more, though we never do.)
Traditionally this would be served steaming hot in a big bowl, sprinkled with grated cheese, maybe a few chopped fresh peppers, cilantro, and fresh or pickled onions. The possibilities are endless as noted above.
Enjoy.
Leave a Reply