Chile Charred Pork

Place the pork butt and ribs in a large bowl, cover with the vinegar, sprinkle with the salt, and mix. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for one hour.

On a preheated comal or skillet set over medium heat, toast the guajillos and chiles de árbol for a minute per side, until lightly toasted and their texture and color have changed (but don't let them burn), set aside. On the same comal or skillet, toast the stemmed cloves, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, oregano and thyme for just a minute, stirring constantly so they don’t burn. If using the piece of canela stick, toast it for a minute or two.

Place the toasted chiles as well as the garlic cloves and ginger in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until rehydrated and plumped up.

In the jar of a blender, add the rehydrated chiles, cooked garlic and ginger, and a cup of the cooking liquid. Add the toasted cloves, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, oregano, thyme, canela stick or ground cinnamon, grated chocolate, ground black pepper and puree until completely smooth. Let cool to room temperature, then cover the pork with this mixture and marinate in the refrigerator anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.

When ready to cook the meat, preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the pork from the refrigerator. Once the oven is hot, place the pork in a baking pan or dish, cover with aluminum foil, and roast for 2 hours.

Remove the foil and roast uncovered for another 30 minutes. The meat should completely fall apart when you shred it with a fork. Eat it in lonches or tortas, or tuck it into soft corn tortillas for tacos.