Tinga

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Braised pork shoulder browned until crisp and then braised in a spicy tomato sauce and served on a tostada with all the fixings.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 45

Total Time2

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: pork tinga, pork tostada, tinga

Servings:

Calories: 325kcal

Equipment

Large Saucepan with lid simmering pork
Fine-mesh strainer for draining pork
Potato masher for shredding pork
12 inch non skillet for preparing tinga
Paper towels for raining tostadas

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless pork butt roast trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 onions 1 quartered, 1 chopped (divided)
5 garlic cloves 3 smashed, 2 minced (divided)
4 springs fresh thyme
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounce tomato sauce 1 can
1 tablespoon ground chipotle
1/2 tablespoon Chile powder
2 bay leaves

Tostadas:

¾ cup vegetable oil
12 corn tortillas
Salt

Garnishes:

Queso Fresco or Cotija cheese
Fresh cilantro leaves
Sour cream
Diced avocado
Lime wedges

Instructions

Dice pork, and place pork, 1 onion, quartered, 3 smashed garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, 1 teaspoon salt and 6 cups water in a large pot or dutch oven. Bring to simmer in over medium high heat. Cook pork until tender, 1 to ½ hours.
After elapsed time, check pork for tenderness, and continue cooking if needed. Otherwise, drain the pork of the liquid, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid to use later. Discard the onions, garlic, and thyme.
Shred the pork in a large bowl or back in the dutch oven, using forks. Continue to shred until pork is shredded into roughly ½-inch pieces.
In a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium high, heat oil until shimmering. Add oregano, shredded pork and the remaining chopped onion. Cook stirring often until pork is well browned and crisp. 7 to 10 minutes. Once browned, add minced garlic (2 cloves) and cook until fragrant for about 30 seconds.
Stir in tomato sauce, chipotle powder, bay leaves and reserved pork liquid and simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated. About 5 to 7 minutes. Then, discard bay leaves and season with salt to taste. Set aside.
Heat oil in 8 inch skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees. Using a fork, poke the center of each tortilla 3 or 4 times. Fry one at a time, on both sides, until crisp and golden brown, then set aside.
To serve: Spoon small amount of shredded pork onto center of each tostada (fried tortilla) and serve with the garnishes and toppings.

Notes

We prefer the complex of chipotle chile powder, but two minced canned chipotle chiles can be used in its place. Tinga is traditionally served on tostadas, but you can also use that meat in tacos or burritos or simply serve it over rice.
The cheese, cilantro, sour cream, avocado, and lime wedges are excellent garnishes but other classic mexican table accompaniments are appropriate too, including pickled radishes or onions and a tangy cabbage slaw.
If you prefer not to fry tostadas, use the oven method, arrange tortillas in a single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Brush both sides of each tortilla with vegetable oil. Bake on upper middle and lower middle racks in 450 degree oven until lightly browned and crisp about 10 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.

Nutrition