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Carne Adovada resembles a warm, spicy embrace from New Mexico! This flavorful dish is a celebration of taste with its tangy dried chilies. The pork is tenderly slow-cooked to perfection, making it a delightful pairing with rice or soft tortillas. Get ready for a flavor explosion that is as soothing as a heartfelt hug!

Did you know that Carne Adovada simply means “marinated meat”? It’s super versatile and can be used in so many delicious meals like tacos, burritos, nachos, rice bowls, and more!

Adobada or Adovada? 

 Adobada means “marinated” in Spanish and is a dish that originated in Mexico. It is based on pork, dried red chiles, and spices and can be braised or grilled. Adovada refers to a dish from New Mexico that also contains pork but features local New Mexico dried red chiles and is always braised.

New Mexico red chile peppers are what I use for the red chile sauce for my Carne Adovada, which is as simple as my regular red chile sauce recipe, but with a few minor adjustments.  I also add some chopped garlic and onion to give it an extra kick. I then simmer the meat in the sauce until it is cooked through and tender. Finally, I serve the dish with warm tortillas and pinto beans.

Ingredients  for Making Carne Adovada

You probably have all the ingredients in your cabinet right now, plus or minus the red chiles/chile powder that will really up the flavor!

🌶️Spices & Seasonings: 

Ground cumin, ground clove, garlic powder, sea salt or kosher salt, Mexican oregano, New Mexico chile powder, and ground cayenne pepper. 

🌶️Liquids: 

Honey, white vinegar, and lime juice(fresh)

🌶️Meat: 

Boneless Pork Butt or Boneless Pork Loin – For even cooking, I recommend cutting it into equal chunks.

🌶️Veggies:

Diced white onion

🌶️OIL:

Vegetable oil, olive oil, or canola oil

🌶️Chile Pepper:

I use New Mexico dried chili peppers, but you can also choose to use guajillo and ancho chilies, or a combination of all three types of chilies.

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Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Carne Adovada

  • Brining: In a large bowl, mix pork cubes with 1 tbsp of kosher or sea salt, and toss to completely coat; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.  
Why Brine?
 Brining pork cubes before cooking is an easy way to make them extra juicy and tender! The brine helps the meat to draw in moisture (and salt) adding tons of flavor.
brine pork
  • Softened Chiles: Cover dried chiles with 8 cups boiling water, and let sit for 30 minutes. 
  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  
  • Drain chiles, reserving 1 & 1/2 cups of the liquid from the chile water, and transfer chiles to a blender along with chile powder, honey, vinegar, cumin, cloves, garlic, salt, oregano, and cayenne. Slowly add reserved soaking liquid and blend until smooth, about 3 minutes. Puree until smooth (not runny) and set sauce aside.
  • In a Dutch oven on medium-high heat, add oil place pork cubes, and diced onion, and sear meat for 3-5 minutes. Add chile sauce, stir to coat completely, and bring to a boil.
  • Remove from the stove, and place the covered pot on the middle rack in the preheated oven for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, or until tender.
  • If you don’t have a Dutch oven, use your slow cooker, it takes a little longer to cook but it will give the same results. Set the slow cooker on high, and it will take 4-6 hours, the low setting will take 6-8 hours. 
  • If you have a large cast-iron skillet with a cast-iron lid…that will work as a replacement for the Dutch oven.
Uncooked Carne Adovada

Remove from oven stir in any bits on the inside of the pot and let sit for 10 minutes. All those little bits are smoky flavor bits that make Carne Adovada unique in taste.

Carne Adovada in Dutch Oven

How do I serve Carne Adovada’s leftovers?

A variety of dishes can be made with Carne Adovada, including tacos, burritos, nachos, rice bowl toppings, tostadas, or as a side with a flour tortilla.

To serve, place the meat on a plate with a side of rice and beans, and warm tortillas. For tacos, overlap 2 tortillas on each plate, top with meat, some onions, and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over all tacos.

adovada with tortillas

Store 

  • Refrigerator: refrigerate Carne Adovada in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  • To store in the freezer, let it cool completely and transfer to a freezer-safe storage container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. 

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Carne Adovada

Eunice Huerta
Bring a bit of México to your kitchen: The marinade for Carne Adovada makes use of a tasty combo of red chiles, ground cloves, honey, Mexican oregano, and cumin.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Course dinner
Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients
  

  • 4 oz. New Mexico dried chile peppers stemmed, seeded, and rinsed
  • 8 cups boiling water
  • 1 tbsp New Mexico chile powder
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
  • 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 3-4 pounds boneless pork butt trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 tbsp Kosher salt or sea salt for pork cubes
  • Lime wedges

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, mix pork cubes with 1 tbsp of kosher or sea salt, and toss to coat completely; refrigerate for 1 hour
  • Cover dried chiles with 8 cups boiling water, and let sit for 30 minutes
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
  • Drain chiles, reserving 1 1/2 cups soaking liquid, and transfer chiles to a blender with chile powder, honey, vinegar, cumin, cloves, garlic, salt, oregano, and cayenne. Slowly add reserved soaking liquid and blend until smooth, about 3 minutes. Puree until smooth (not runny) and set sauce aside.
  • In a Dutch oven on medium-high heat, sauté pork cubes and onions for 3-5 minutes. Add chile sauce, stir to coat completely, and bring to a boil. Remove from the stove, and place the covered pot on the middle rack in the preheated oven for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, or until tender.
  • Remove from oven stir in any bits on the inside of the pot and let sit for 10 minutes.
  • Serve with rice and a warm flour tortilla. Squeeze a lime wedge over the meat for extra flavor(optional)
Keyword beef, chile, carne adovada, carne adobada, adovada recipe
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