Adobada

New Mexico

In New Mexican cuisine, carne adovada is a baked meat specialty. Raw pork is cut into strips or cubes and marinated overnight in a bag with New Mexico red chile powder or minced red chile peppers (such as Hatch, Chimayo, or guajillo), garlic, oregano, cumin, lime or lemon juice and/or vinegar, and salt. The dish is baked at low heat wrapped in foil or in a covered dish to keep the meat moist. The southern New Mexican version typically uses pork cut into strips and chunks.

Historically, before refrigeration, the pork was fermented in red chile in a crock using lactobacillus bacteria, a preservation method that imparted a sour taste; this explains why modern recipes sometimes include white vinegar or citrus juice. The red chile is prepared con pellejo, with bits of chile skin, using fresh minced garlic and mortar-and-pestle ground oregano. Optional spices include comino (cumin), cilantro, and coriander seeds, which may be toasted.

The dish bakes until the meat is tender and moist inside with a semidry, crisp, almost blackened red chile exterior. Other versions of red chile and boiled or braised pork may be called carne adovada, while versions with pork-skin pellejo are actually chile Colorado. Carne adovada may be served with a tortilla, beans and rice, fideos or homefries, or papas with a fresh vinegar slaw or salad. A central New Mexico version involves pork chunks dipped in milk, rolled in a dry rub of red chile con pellejo, garlic powder, salt, and cumin, then deep-fried with chicharrones until crisp outside and tender inside.

Mexico

In certain Mexican states, carne adobada refers to marinated pork meat and is a common taco ingredient in Colima, Jalisco, and Michoacán. In parts of Guerrero it is called carne enchilada, meaning chili dressed meat, and in the Huasteca area (San Luis Potosí, Tampico, Veracruz, Hidalgo) it may be called cecina enchilada, where cecina denotes thin cut steaks. The spice, chile, and vinegar mixture is called adobo.