Mexican Pork — The Face Eduardo Makes When He Tastes Something Made With Love

Mid-July. Eduardo's birthday — fifty-seven. The pandemic is receding enough that the birthday can be real this year, not the three-person kitchen affair of 2020 but a gathering, a table, a cake, a celebration with the volume and warmth that Eduardo's birthdays deserve even though Eduardo's preference is for quiet recognition and my preference is for the opposite of quiet recognition. I win this argument every year. I have won it thirty-three times. Eduardo has stopped arguing, which is not surrender but wisdom.

I made his chuletas — the pork chops, thin-cut, adobo-marinated, fried in olive oil. His favorite. I know it's his favorite because his face. The face does not lie. The face, when it encounters chuletas, transforms from Eduardo's Resting Insurance Face (calm, analytical, slightly concerned about risk) into Eduardo's Chuleta Face (alive, young, the face of a man from Ponce tasting his mother's cooking through his wife's hands). The transformation is the gift. The chuletas are the vehicle. The love is the fuel.

Miguel Jr. and Jenny came with the kids. Rosa and Carlos came, Rosa enormous at seven months, beautiful, tired, eating everything I put in front of her. Sofía was here. Ana drove from Bridgeport. Mami came — I drove to get her, drove her to the house, settled her in her wheelchair at the table. Twelve people. The table seats twelve. No extra chairs needed. The exact right number. Eduardo looked around the table and I saw his face — not the Chuleta Face but a different face, a face I have seen exactly four times before: at each of our children's births, a face that says the world is full and the fullness is the miracle.

Every year I make his chuletas, and every year I watch Eduardo’s face do the thing it does — that transformation I have been studying for thirty-three years like a scientist who already knows the answer but keeps running the experiment because the result is that good. This Mexican pork recipe is what I reach for when the table is full and the occasion is real: it carries the same adobo spirit, the same depth of seasoning, the same promise that someone in this kitchen loved you enough to do it right. If you have a person whose face you want to change, start here.

Mexican Pork

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork shoulder or pork chops, thin-cut
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for frying
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Marinate the pork. In a large bowl, combine garlic, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add pork and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight for deeper flavor.
2. Sear the meat. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large heavy skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Remove pork from marinade and sear in batches, 3–4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Build the sauce. In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium. Add sliced onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in tomato sauce and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Braise together. Return seared pork to the skillet. Spoon sauce over the top, cover, and simmer over low heat for 20–25 minutes, until pork is cooked through and tender and sauce has thickened slightly.
5. Rest and serve. Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired. Serve with rice, beans, or warm tortillas.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 520mg