Big pot of juicy, shreddable meat in a rich, spicy chipotle sauce is Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans. Pork shoulder is slow-cooked to fall apart and meaty lima beans absorb the strong sauce. Serve over red rice, in tacos, or as stew!
Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans with side tortillas, avocado, and limes
Huge pieces of delicate meat that barely stay together when scooped. Strong, spicy, acidic, and flavourful sauce. Big, creamy beans that have absorbed the sauce’s flavor make them tastier and dreamier than you thought.
Its ease of making is a huge plus. Just like stewing. My favorite method to serve this is ladled into bowls like stew and served with tortillas for dipping instead of mash!
Everything you need to prepare a huge pot of Mexican goodness!
Seasoned pork
This meal uses pork shoulder, an inexpensive tough cut that must be slow-cooked to fall-apart tenderness. I just season it with cumin before searing since the pork absorbs so much flavor when slow cooking that it doesn’t require much.
Use this to create the rich chipotle sauce for braising meat. Maximum flavor!
Ingredients for Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans
Chipotle in adobo—the star ingredient—is my favorite Mexican sauce! It uses rehydrated and canned chipotles in a fiery red sauce with plenty of flavor. (Chipotles are dried, smoked jalapeños).
In this recipe, we purée the chipotles and sauce for maximum flavor release and a smooth sauce.
You can get chipotle in adobo almost “everywhere” in the US! It is sold in the Mexican aisle of Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms, and independent supermarkets in Australia. Harris Farms sells La Morena for $3.29 for 200g/7 oz (we use the full can).
Butter beans (lima beans)—the large, plump, meaty beans you usually see at the grocery and wonder what to do with. You finally understand! 😂 Other beans may be used, although creamy beans work better than black beans, chickpeas, etc.
Why can beans instead of drying? Dried beans, particularly butter beans, cook differently depending on age, size, and quality. In recipes like this, the beans may be done before the pork or remain firm. Pulling the meat and cooking the beans longer is OK. However, removing the beans to cook the meat is tedious! I like canned.
Yes, orange juice! Mexican cookery uses a secret ingredient to provide sweetness and flavor instead of sugar. Slow cooking entirely changes the flavor, so it doesn’t taste orangey.
Chicken stock for braising. Please limit sodium to avoid a salty meal.
- Tomato paste—flavored and thickened. It’s sautéed to remove its raw, acidic flavor before adding to the braising liquid.
- Herbs and spices—normal! Oregano, coriander, allspice, bay.
- Garlic and onion—flavour basis.
Searing the pork on the stove before braising it in the oven until fall-apart tender gives the sauce time to create a rich, savory taste.
Blend the chipotle in adobo using a stick blender. Because chipotles are delicate, it takes seconds.
Season pork – Cut it into 6 equal pieces for easier searing, greater browned surface, and quicker cooking than a full pork shoulder. Then add cumin, salt, and pepper.
Brown pork in two batches in a heavy oven-proof saucepan. Rotate pork to brown evenly. Color = flavor! Remove meat to a platter.
Sauté garlic, onion, dry herbs, and spices in the same pot to make a sauce foundation. Sautéing dried herbs and spices lets them “bloom” and add flavor.
After cooking the tomato paste, purée the chipotle in adobo. To intensify flavor and remove the raw, sour edge of pastes, cook them. You get more out of less depending on the flavourful flavor!
Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans Recipe
Braising liquid – Add orange juice, stock, spices, and bay leaves to the sauce, except the beans. Late additions prevent beans from overcooking and becoming mushy.
Mix it well, then add the pork and any fluids on the dish (never waste flavor!). Place the pork as deep as possible in the liquid. The pork will steam-cook and shrink, so it will drop below the surface.
Slow cook – Cover and bake at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 2 hours. This temperature seems high for slow cooking, but it’s a gently simmer on the burner, perfect for meats.
Other cook methods: 6 hours on low in a slow cooker or 2 hours on the stove.
Beans: Remove saucepan from oven. Pork should be fork-tender by now. Push the beans into the liquid as best you can.
Return the saucepan to the oven for 30 minutes uncovered to caramelize the surface and add flavor. By this point, the pork should be soft enough to easily separate with two forks.
If you used a slow cooker or stove, I suggest finishing in the oven since the caramelizing adds flavor!
All done! Scoop pork and beans onto dishes or plates to serve. This fall-apart-spicy-meaty-beany pot of goodness may be eaten as follows!
How to serve Chipotle Pork and Beans
As noted, I like serving Chipotle Pork and Beans in a bowl like stew. Cut pork pieces with a spoon or fork—it takes just a touch! Take a large scoop with beans and sauce.
For freshness, I add avocado and coriander/cilantro, and tortillas for dunks and bowl mopping are vital.
However, here are several dish-worthy alternatives!
Arroz Rojo—fluffy, well-seasoned Mexican Red Rice. Really enjoy restaurant food! recipetineats.comMexican Red Rice is great side!
Restaurant Copycat: Grilled Corn with Chipotle Adobo Mayo—the greatest corn I’ve ever tasted. Includes grilling and stovetop techniques.Mexican corn with chipotle mayonnaise—another fantastic side.
Serve over Mexican red rice or on a large Mexican dish with corn cobs.
Fill tacos with your favorite toppings! The photo above shows avocado slices, freshly sliced white onion, fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, and lime wedges. This is saucy enough without a sauce!
Delicious burritos! Replace chicken in this tortilla.
Shred pork and add to beans and sauce. Make huge nachos (swap out the chicken in this nachos recipe), enchiladas, tostadas, or scoop it up with corn chips
Make a hearty soup — Thin the sauce with chicken stock/broth to make it soup-like. Serve as soup!
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