Tacos/

Pork Tinga with Potatoes, Avocado and Fresh Cheese

Recipe from Season 7, Mexico—One Plate at a Time
Servings: 4to 6
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Ingredients

  • 1tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 1 pound lean, boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 4ounceschorizo sausage, removed from its casing
  • 4 to 5medium (about 3/4 pound total) red-skinned potatoes, quartered
  • 1large white onion, sliced 1/4–inch thick
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 128-ounce can diced tomatoes, in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
  • 2 to 3canned chipotle chiles en adobo, finely chopped
  • 4teaspoons chipotle canning sauce
  • 1tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
  • 1/2teaspoondried oregano, preferably Mexican
  • Salt
  • About 1/2cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese like salted pressed farmers cheese
  • 1avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin and diced
  • Warm corn tortillas

Instructions

If your slow cooker has an insert that can go on the stovetop, heat the oil in it over medium-high heat.  (If it cannot go on the stove or you do not have a removable insert heat the oil in a very large (12-inch) non-stick skillet.) Once the oil is very hot, add the pork and chorizo in a single layer and cook, stirring until the meat has browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and place the insert into your slow cooker (if you’re using a skillet, transfer the meat and its juices into the slow cooker). Add the potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes with their liquid, chipotles, chipotle sauce, Worcestershire, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to mix thoroughly. Cook at the highest temperature.

The tinga will be finished after 6 hours at the highest temperature, though you can hold it for longer.  (My slow-cooker can be programmed to switch from high after 6 hours to a keep-warm low temperature for up to another 6 hours. Some slow cookers click to keep-warm automatically; others need to be switched manually.)

After six hours, gently stir the tinga. If the sauce seems too thick, stir in a little water. Taste, and season with salt if you think the dish needs it. Scoop into a large bowl, sprinkle with the fresh cheese and diced avocado, and serve with warm tortillas.

Comments

  1. I made this last weekend and it was GREAT! Another winner from Rick! Bold flavor with a slight hint of spice but not overpowering. Finishing it with avocado and cheese takes it over the top.

  2. I cooked this and it was awesome, the flavor was unique and so delicious, I am hispanic and saw the episoid of this being made and googled it to make it. going to make another batch for friends, makes great burritos wrapped in homemaid tortillas. I wont give up this secret just yet to friends. I will continue to make other mexican reciepies from this site. you are in deed amazing. cant afford the book so i will continue on line cooking.thank you.

  3. I don’t have my slow cooker with me, can it be done in the oven? BTW we’ve made this many times before and it is delicious!

    1. It absolutely can b done in the oven! Cook the pork in a dutch oven. Cook it covered for about 3 hours at 325 degrees. Enjoy!

  4. How do I tone down the heat (spice) on this if it’s already made? I braised it, and it’s really spicy (using all the ingredients listed above…3 pounds of pork, 4 cans of the seeded/sliced chipotle peppers in sauce). Any recommendations for reheating it tonight and toning it down a little? Thanks for any help.

    1. Whoah! You were supposed to use 2-3 peppers, not cans! I bet that is super hot! I will get the meat out of the sauce and add sour cream to see if it’s bearable.

  5. I made this today with two pounds of pork, 14 ounces of chorizo, one can of peppers, and doubled up on everything else. Got a late start so I made it in a Dutch oven in my oven at 325 for 2 hours and 15 minutes. It was outstanding. I will definitely make it again and will gladly serve it to company. Loved it!

  6. I’ve made this twice now using 2 red yams instead of the red skin potatoes and it turns out spectacular. A nice variation. Made it in the Dutch oven, 3 hours at 325 was perfect.

  7. What slow cooker were they using for this? I’m looking for one that can go on the stovetop, and that one looks sturdier than the ones I’ve seen.

  8. I feel silly asking – “chipotle canning sauce”? Is that the leftover adobe sauce from the canned chipotle chiles?

  9. Can this recipe be adapted to be made in a pressure cooker? Using pressure to cook is fast and convenient as well. Thanks

    1. You add the cooked chorizo at the end before you scoop out the pork tinga into a bowl. Just that last little kiss of flavor before you serve to your guest! 🙂

  10. I can’t eat pork (migraine trigger). What other meats work well with the recipe? Would it work with firm tofu? Many thanks. Love the show, the books and the recipes.

    1. Nancy, it’s totally OK to cut down the number of chiles and chipotle canning sauce. Maybe try one chile and a quick splash of the sauce to provide the smoky flavor without the spice. Good luck!

  11. My grandparents came to the U.S. about 100 years ago. There wasn’t any Mexican stores around so they had to improvise to make dishes. I grew up eating this type of Mexican food. Like most Americans, I thought I was eating real Mexican food. Having been to Mexico now, I realize that I have not. I am very happy, very pleased with Ricks recipes. Thanks Rick.

    1. Totally! I would use a cut of meat that you would use for pot roast, like a round or chuck roast. Happy Cooking!

  12. Your comment a few above says use 2-3 pounds pork shoulder but the recipe says 1 pound. What do you recommend? And how much pork would you use to double the recipe? Thanks!!

        1. I would do at least 3-4 pounds of pork shoulder to feed 10 people. This also reheats well, so if you have leftovers, that is a good thing!

  13. This has replaced guisado de puerco con tomatillos as our favorite Mexican meal. My family raved, and it will be a regular Sunday family dinner. You all went over the top on this one. Draining the liquid and boiling it down is well worth the little extra effort. Go spend $30 on a slow cooker and enjoy this recipe for years to come!

  14. Is it possible to substitute the pork shoulder for pork loin and if yes do I need to change anything? Thanks so much!

    1. YES! I love using pork shoulder in this recipe! Depending on the size of your shoulder you might have to cook it longer or add some more liquid. Just make sure you have a good liquid to meat ratio. Good Luck!

  15. I’m very confused. In the video, Rick puts the cut up pork shoulder into the slow cooker without browning it. Then he adds the browned chorizo at the end of the cooking session, just before serving. Simple, unfussy, delicious looking.

    But in the *written* instructions, it says “Once the oil is very hot, add the pork and chorizo in a single layer and cook, stirring until the meat has browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and place the insert into your slow cooker (if you’re using a skillet, transfer the meat and its juices into the slow cooker).” That’s significantly different AND it seems that the chorizo’s distinctive flavors would get lost in six hours of slow cooking…

    Which version is the authentic version?

  16. I’ve made this many times since watching the show. I have a instapot, and wonder how long would it take to cook?

  17. I just made this after finding Rick on YouTube a few days ago. I had no idea he was there until the YouTube algorithm let me know! Anyway, instead of using a slow cooker I went with my 8qt pressure cooker, and did a 60 minute high pressure cook with a 20 minute natural release cooldown. I did double the recipe (leftovers!!!) and increased the amount of pork to 3.5 pounds (just 1 pound for an undoubled recipe seemed pretty scarce on the protein), but otherwise changed nothing. I garnished with chopped cilantro, hot sauce, queso fresco, and diced avocado. It turned out absolutely fantastic – a total keeper recipe! It’d be wonderful to warm up with this for dinner on a cold winter evening, but it was excellent on a warm summer day too.

    I think the recipe as written here seems like the way to go as opposed to the YouTube video, where Rick doesn’t brown the pork and puts the chorizo in at the end. Browning meat always makes for more flavor, and it really seemed like the chorizo worked to deeply flavor and season the stew instead of just being thrown in as an afterthought. Do be careful with the salt though… I think mine ended up with a little too much salt, but that’s my problem for not calculating correctly. Nailing the salt in dishes like this can be a bit tricky sometimes. I’m looking forward to making a lot more of Rick’s recipes. Thanks, Rick!

    PS – To anyone wondering about using pork loin or different proteins instead of pork shoulder… I advise caution. Pork loin doesn’t have the necessary fat/collagen content and dries out horribly when slow or pressure cooked, just like chicken breast. Pork sirloin would work much better than loin, but would definitely be a good bit drier than shoulder. I imagine chicken thighs would work very well though, but require less time to get tender (30 minute pressure/20 natural release, or 3/4 hours on high slow cooking). Some beef chuck would probably be awesome too, and but takes a little longer to get tender than pork shoulder in my experience, considering the same sized meat chunks, about 75 minute pressure/20 natural release, or 7/8 hour high slow cooking.

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