Orange and Piloncillo Adobo Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 1 10-pound pork picnic shoulder bone in, with skin and fat on
- 8 guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
- 6 ounces piloncillo
- 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¼ white onion coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 8 whole cloves stems discarded
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon whole allspice
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt
- 2 dried bay leaves
Instructions
- To make the adobo sauce, on a preheated comal set over medium-low heat, toast the guajillos for about a minute per side. Place them in a medium saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until chiles plump up and rehydrate. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, place the piloncillo and pour a cup of water over it. Set it over low heat, cover and let it simmer 6 to 8 minutes until the piloncillo has completely dissolved into the water creating a syrup. Set aside.
- In the jar of a blender, add the chiles along with 2 cups of their cooking liquid, orange juice, piloncillo syrup, onion, garlic, stemmed whole cloves, oregano, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, allspice, black peppercorns, and salt. Puree until completely smooth.
- Preheat oven to 450℉ and place a rack in the lowest part of the oven.
- With a very sharp knife, score through the skin and fat of the pork shoulder, but not into the meat, in a diamond pattern. Place in a large dutch oven or braiser, with the skin side up. Cover with the adobo sauce, making sure there is sauce under the meat as well. Toss in the bay leaves.
- Roast in the oven uncovered for 1 hour. Then remove from the oven, flip the pork skin side down, and cover with a lid. Reduce the oven temperature to 350℉, return the pork to the oven, and cook for 2 more hours. Remove from the oven, flip the pork again so it’s back to skin side up. Cover with the lid and return it to the oven for another 2 hours.
- At this point, the meat should be falling from the bone if you insert a fork or take a piece with a pair of tongs. If not, place back in the oven for another half hour. Remove from the oven, uncover, and let cool slightly (skim 4 tablespoons of fat from the surface and set aside to make the Orange Adobo Pizza Sauce).
- Once cool enough to handle, remove the pork from the braiser and place on a large chopping board. Leave the adobo sauce in the braiser (set aside 1 cup of adobo sauce for the Orange Adobo Pizza Sauce). Discard the bay leaves.
- Using a meat fork and a sharp knife, thinly slice the meat, which should be falling apart. Discard the bone. Place all the meat back in the adobo sauce left in the braiser. Toss to coat.
- Eat the meat with tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, nachos, on top of rice, or use it as a topping for pizza!