Carne Adovada, Chile Colorado, and Carne Asada

Here’s the thing. They’re all the same dish. Each has just got a different tweak.

Carne Adovada is pork. Chile Colorado is beef. Carne Asada is done in a shallow roaster instead of a crockpot.

4 lbs meat
1 tub Bueno Red Chiles
1 bottle Beer
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
3 Tbsp Masa (Corn flour…not corn starch)

Optional: chopped onions, diced sundried tomatoes…

Cube the meat; pork loin, pork roast, pot roast, beef shoulder, you know…the cheap slabs of formerly living cows or sows…into big bites…they’ll get smaller with cooking. If you want the meat to stay cubular, flour and sear it on two sides. Otherwise, you can just mix it all together in your cooking vessel. The fat will render out of the meat as it cooks which will actually increase the volume so it’s important to leave some room for this to happen.

For crockpots, typically, I’ll fill to the brim then ladle out a volume until the lid is clearly above the level of liquid and set that volume aside in case I need it later. Stir every half hour for four to six hours. The liquid should be at a slow boil the entire time. The first three hour, you may worry that it just isn’t cooking right. The meat’s cooked but it’s not fall-apart tender. Don’t worry. It’s after four hours that the magic happens.

For Carne Asada, put the meat in a shallow roaster with enough liquid to rise halfway up the level of the meat. Set the oven to 250°F and seal the roaster with a heavy lid or aluminum foil. Check every hour that the meat is neither drowning nor parched. Remove the cover 15 minutes before serving and switch the oven to broil. Watch it carefully to make sure it gets the right amount of char for your taste.

Let me know how it turns out for you. Your results may vary with different crockpots or altitudes.