Chilaquiles Sinaloenses con Chilorio

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4-quart pot for the chilorio
• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for toasting chiles and charring vegetables
• •Wide deep skillet for frying the totopos and the salsa
• •High-powered blender
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan for draining the totopos
• •Wooden spoon for mashing and shredding the pork

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the pork for chilorio

   Place the cubed pork shoulder in a heavy pot with the kosher salt. Add water to barely cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook uncovered for about 45 minutes. The water will reduce, the pork will tenderize, and at the end the meat will start to fry in its own rendered fat. That is the moment chilorio begins. Sinaloa cooks call this 'que se seque su agua,' let its water dry. Do not drain the pork halfway through. The slow reduction is the technique.

2. 2

   Toast and soak the chiles for chilorio

   While the pork cooks, heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the ancho and pasilla chiles separately, about 20 to 30 seconds per side. The skin will puff and the kitchen will smell like a chile vendor's stall in Mocorito. Pasilla burns faster than ancho, so watch it. Soak the toasted chiles in hot tap water, not boiling, for 20 minutes until soft.

   If a chile turns black during toasting, throw it out and toast another. Burned chile makes bitter chilorio and there is no fixing it later.
3. 3

   Blend the chilorio paste

   Drain the soaked chiles and transfer them to a blender with the apple cider vinegar, four garlic cloves, dried oregano, cumin, and black pepper. Blend until completely smooth. The vinegar is not optional. Chilorio is technically a preservation, half adobo, half confit, born in Mocorito as a way to keep pork on the road without refrigeration. Half a cup of vinegar is the recipe. No me vengas con atajos.

4. 4

   Fry the chilorio

   By now the pork should be tender and the water mostly evaporated. With a wooden spoon, mash the pork against the side of the pot. It should shred easily. Add 2 tablespoons of manteca and let the meat fry in its own fat plus the lard for about 5 minutes, stirring, until the edges turn dark and crisp. Pour the chile paste over the pork. It will sputter. Cook over medium-low for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the paste darkens, the fat separates, and the chilorio holds together in dark, glossy clumps. Taste for salt. Set aside.

5. 5

   Fry the totopos

   Heat 1/2 inch of neutral oil in a heavy skillet to 350F. Fry the tortilla pieces in batches, turning once, until golden and crisp on the outside but still bendable at the edges, about 2 minutes per batch. Drain on a wire rack, not paper towels. The chips need air on both sides or they steam soggy. Salt them lightly while still warm. Day-old tortillas fry crisper than fresh ones. Esto es asi y punto.

6. 6

   Build the salsa roja

   Toast the guajillo and arbol chiles on the dry comal for about 20 seconds per side. Soak in hot water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, char the tomatoes, onion half, and three garlic cloves on the comal until blackened in spots and softened, about 10 minutes total. Drain the chiles and blend everything together with the kosher salt and a 1/2 cup of fresh water until smooth. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of manteca in a wide skillet, pour in the salsa, and fry it for 8 to 10 minutes until it darkens and the fat separates. La manteca es el sabor.

7. 7

   Bathe the totopos

   Working quickly, add the totopos to the simmering salsa and toss gently with a wooden spoon. Coat every chip but do not drown them. Sinaloan chilaquiles are not soggy. The chip should hold its bite at the center while the edges absorb the salsa. Cook for no more than 60 to 90 seconds. Pull the skillet off the heat the moment the chips are dressed.

8. 8

   Fry the eggs

   In a separate skillet, fry the eggs sunny-side up in a little manteca over medium heat. The whites should be set and the yolks still loose. The yolk is the sauce that meets the salsa on the plate. Do not overcook them.

9. 9

   Plate and serve

   Divide the chilaquiles among four plates. Crown each plate with a generous spoonful of chilorio while it is still warm. Lay a fried egg on top. Scatter the queso ranchero, drizzle the crema in thin lines, and finish with diced raw onion and cilantro. Serve frijoles puercos in a small clay bowl alongside, with lime wedges. Eat immediately, before the chips give up. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Day-old corn tortillas fry crisper than fresh ones. Buy them today, leave them uncovered overnight, fry them tomorrow. If you only have fresh, spread them on a sheet pan and dry them in a 200F oven for 15 minutes before cutting and frying.
• •Make the chilorio a day ahead. The vinegar and chile need time to marry the pork, and the texture firms up overnight. Reheat gently in a skillet with a teaspoon of lard. Mocorito cooks have always made it ahead, that is the whole point of the preservation.
• •Queso ranchero is the right cheese here, not cotija and not feta. It is a fresh, salty, slightly tangy cheese from the noroeste ranchos. If you cannot find it, queso fresco is a compromise. Cotija is too dry and salty for this dish.
• •If you cannot find manteca de cerdo from a butcher, render your own from pork fatback. Hydrogenated supermarket lard in a green tub is not the same. La manteca es el sabor and that includes which manteca.

Advance Preparation

• •Chilorio can be made up to four days ahead and refrigerated. The flavor deepens noticeably after 24 hours. Reheat in a skillet with a teaspoon of lard before serving.
• •The salsa roja can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat to a simmer before bathing the chips.
• •Frijoles puercos can be made two days ahead. They reheat well and the bacon and chorizo only get more pronounced.
• •Do not bathe the totopos in advance. Chilaquiles is a last-minute dish. The chips lose their bite in minutes once they meet the salsa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 365g)