Is an ancho chile a poblano chile?

Yes. This mild, somewhat sweet dried chile, is a ripe poblano chile. It adds richness and a somewhat sweet, chocolatey flavor to any dish.

Can I use pork tenderloin or is pork shoulder necessary?

Pork tenderloin is much leaner and does not have the rich flavor that a fattier pork shoulder has. Pork shoulder melts in your mouth but you can use pork tenderloin though cooking times will need to be adjusted. In this case I would cook the sauce and add the pork tenderloin during the last 45 minutes.

What is the difference between Mexican oregano and oregano?

Mexican oregano has more citrus overtones and can be found at my local grocery store in the Mexican foods aisle.

Mexican adobo sauce is a rich sauce or marinade, consisting of dried chiles, garlic, spices such as oregano and cumin and cooked with an acid such as orange juice or vinegar.

Easy Mexican Pork Adobo Recipe - This Is How I Cook

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 T olive oil or bacon fat

2 1/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder cut into chunks

2 large Ancho Chiles*

6 large Guajillo Chiles*

2 Chipotle Chilies*

8 chopped garlic cloves

3 c fresh orange juice

1 3/4 t Morton's Kosher salt or use half if using Diamond kosher salt

1 t cumin seeds

1 t dried oregano

2 bay leaves

1 T apple cider vinegar

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Instructions

Arrange oven rack in the lower third of oven and preheat to 275.

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add pork chunks and cook until browned on all sides. Transfer to plate.

In same pot add all dried chiles and toast, turning frequently until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to plate.

To the same pot add garlic and cook about 1 minute until you can smell it! Add back the pork and chilies, orange juice, salt, cumin, oregano and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.

Cover the pot and and transfer to oven. Braise until the meat is falling off the bone, about 2 hours, more or less. Remove the pork from the pot, transfer to a large bowl and cool until it can be shredded.

Transfer the braising liquid to a blender, working in batches if necessary, and puree until smooth. Return the chile puree to the pot . Stir in the vinegar and meat and reheat over low heat. Taste to adjust seasoning. If this is too saucy, cook it down a bit before adding back the meat.

Serve over refried beans with tostadas or with just flour tortillas on the side.

Notes

*All dried chiles should be stemmed and deseeded. If your chilies are old they may become to brittle and have no flavor. Cut off the top of the chile and make a slit down the length of the chile. Most of the seeds should shake out.

For other serving suggestions please see post.

Thanks Rick Martinez!