Southwest Pulled Pork

Spring practice starts next week and I've been running the team at Eldorado Prep for three full years now. The thing I've noticed is that the program has started to recruit itself — the reputation does work I used to have to do manually. The feeder middle school coaches send their best players here with fewer conversations than it used to take. The parents of seven-year-olds are telling their kids about Eldorado Prep. This is program building done right: you create a culture that is self-sustaining rather than coach-dependent.

Diego started lifting with the varsity winter group. He's the only sophomore in the room. He doesn't talk much in there — he watches, he works, he asks specific technical questions and then he implements the answers immediately. The other players have accepted him the way a group accepts someone who has demonstrated they belong: without ceremony, which is the best kind of acceptance. I hear about this from the strength coach, not from Diego. Diego doesn't tell me about the weight room. He knows I know. We've had the conversation about not making it weird.

Made a big batch of chile colorado this week — red chile braised pork, the kind you eat over rice or wrapped in a flour tortilla. The dried New Mexican red chile I get from a supplier in Albuquerque is not the same as what you find in the grocery store. The difference is about depth and complexity, the way a good dried chile carries layers that a fresh pepper can't produce in the same way. I keep extra bags in the freezer. Running out of dried chile is not something I allow to happen in this kitchen.

The chile colorado I made this week is the same idea as everything else I’ve been building at Eldorado Prep — you do the work upfront, you let it go low and slow, and eventually it produces something that takes care of itself. This Southwest Pulled Pork is the recipe I reach for when I want that same result: dried chiles, warm spices, pork that braises down into something deeply layered. Make a big batch on Sunday and it carries you through the week, no fuss, no ceremony — just there when you need it.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours | Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 10

Ingredients

3 to 4 dried New Mexican red chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 cup boiling water
1 (4-pound) bone-in pork shoulder (butt roast)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Flour tortillas or cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

Rehydrate the chiles. Place dried red chiles in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak 15 minutes until softened. Transfer chiles and 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid to a blender; puree until smooth and set aside.
Season and sear the pork. Pat pork shoulder dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear pork on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Transfer to a slow cooker.
Build the sauce. In the same skillet, add onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano; cook 1 minute more until fragrant. Stir in the chile puree, fire-roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer, then pour over the pork in the slow cooker.
Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 5 hours), until the pork is completely tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.
Pull and finish. Transfer pork to a cutting board. Remove and discard the bone. Use two forks to shred the meat. Skim excess fat from the cooking liquid, then return shredded pork to the slow cooker and stir to coat in the sauce. Taste and adjust salt.
Serve. Pile pulled pork over rice or load into warm flour tortillas. Serve with your choice of toppings: sliced avocado, pickled onion, crumbled cotija, or fresh cilantro.

Nutrition (per serving)

Southwest Pulled Pork — The Batch That Runs Itself