Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 3 dried ancho chiles (or 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder)
  • 2 dried chipotle chiles
  • 3/4 cup pineapple juice ((canned))
  • 4 garlic cloves (peeled)
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
  • 1 (3-pound) boneless pork butt roast (trimmed and cut in half)
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (plus more lime wedges for serving)

Instruction

  • If using dried ancho and chipotle chiles, toast the chiles in a large skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. (If the chiles begin to smoke at any point, lower the heat.) Tip the chiles onto a plate and let cool slightly. Wearing gloves, remove and discard the stem and seeds from the chiles and tear the chiles into pieces. Place the pieces in a small bowl, add enough warm water to cover, and let soak until softened but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain well.If using ancho and chipotle chile powders, hop on down to step 2.
  • Toss the soaked chile pieces or chile powders, pineapple juice, garlic, brown sugar, cumin, and cloves in a blender and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Dump the mixture in your slow cooker. Season the pork quite generously with salt and pepper on all side and then add the pork to your slow cooker and turn to coat it evenly with the chile mixture. Cover and cook until the pork is really tender. Plan on 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.
  • Move the pork to a large bowl and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, pour the braising liquid into a fat separator or a shallow bowl and set aside for at least 10 minutes to allow the fat to float to the surface.
  • Shred the pork into bite-size pieces using a fork in each hand or your fingers, discarding any chunks of fat.
  • Skim the fat from the surface of the braising liquid with a spoon and discard. Drizzle about 1 cup defatted braising liquid over the shredded pork and toss to combine. Add more braising liquid if necessary to make the pork moist and flavorful. Squeeze 1 tablespoon lime juice over the pork, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss. Add additional lime juice as desired or pass lime wedges on the side at the table. (The pork and any leftover liquid can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)