Thursday, June 28, 2012

Easy Red Chile for Burritos

Growing up, when I thought of burritos, the only thing that came to my mind was the bland, ground beef, Taco Bell style burritos. It was all I knew, so I was okay with it.

When I met my husband, I learned what a REAL burrito tasted like! And it was definitely NOT bland!
It took me a few years to acclimate myself to the heat of spicier foods, and since then, I have been able to palate a much larger and more delicious variety of flavors.

Nowdays, to me, burritos no longer mean bland ground beef. They are either chile verde or chile colorado. More simply put, green or red. If you ask me which is my favorite, I would probably say verde. But there are times when only a good chile colorado burrito will hit the spot. So today, I will share with you a very easy way to make red chile for burritos.


Looks yummy, huh?

That night, I made the chile colorado, a simple little salad, "doctored up" refried beans (I will share that recipe with you another time), and served it with some tortillas.
Basically, I started with this (plus tortillas... they were camera-shy):


Easy Red Chile for Burritos
What You Need:
3-4 lbs of pork shoulder cut into strips or chunks
a 28oz can of Red Chile Sauce (we like Las Palmas)
5 (or so) cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
1-2 TB New Mexico chile powder (optional)

What You Do:

  1. Coat the pork with the garlic, chile powder (if using), and sprinkle with salt.
  2. In a hot pan, fry the seasoned meat (in batches if necessary), until it is nice and browned.
  3. Reduce the heat and add the red chile sauce.
  4. Cover and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until tender.
That's it. Serve hot.
I like to keep my burrito simple. Tortilla, chile, and a little monterey jack cheese. YUM!
Oh, and one more thing... make a lot! You will want leftovers! The chile is even better the next day!

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3 comments:

  1. Making your own red chile sauce is an even better option to canned. And it is so simple. I will try to remember to get my recipe for you, but it is after midnight now and I'm too lazy to go into the kitchen. LOL You basically make a roux in some oil with lots of garlic, some flour and chile powder then add water; simmer. You make sure you use chile powder NOT chili powder! I'm going to have to adapt this to a gluten free recipe, probably with cornstarch instead of flour. Browning the chile in the oil is essential in bringing out the flavor, but watch out. It burns easily then you will have everyone in your house coughing!

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    Replies
    1. Anna, that sounds yummy!
      I tried making my own with whole dried chiles once... ummm... I totally should have strained it! I like the idea of using the chile powder! I am going to have to try it! Thanks for sharing! :-)

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  2. Yummy....
    I think you are right! I DO want leftovers... Lots of them...
    Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe, I will have to put pork shoulder on my shopping list....

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