Pork and Chorizo Flautas with Red Salsa

Fried tortillas stuff with tender, braised pork shoulder, with chorizo, red salsa, and Mexican crema.

Flautas are rolled, stuff tortillas, that are deep fried and generally served with salsa. Stuff them with pork, chicken, beef, or any hearty meat substitutes, and a quick shallow-fry will crisp them up into what’s basically a restaurant quality taquito.

By braising the pork shoulder in the salsa ingredients, you infuse the meat with the flavor of spices and aromatic vegetables while lending flavor and body to the salsa it’s served with. Win win situation. Searing the pork first ensures the pork is still at maximum flavor after shredding, and lightly frying with chorizo and some of the salsa helps the flavor stick. It makes for a smoky, meaty, flauta filling that goes well with creamy Mexican table cream and salsa.

When I make Mexican food, I almost always use lard or bacon grease as a flavorful cooking oil. It’s not healthy, but it’s delicious. Searing the pork shoulder until well browned ensures we get the most flavor out of the protein used.

When it comes to salsa, I roast my ingredients as often as I can. In my red salsa, onions, jalapeños, and tomatoes are the star of the broiler show. The char the develops brings out many new layers of flavor and makes the peppers easier to peel. Quickly toasting dried chilies in the microwave gives the the fruity, earthy, smoky flavors we want with the freshness of tomatoes and fresh peppers. A finish of cilantro and lime mske for a complete, flavor filled sauce.

When working with corn tortillas, heating them up before use makes them more pliable and resistant to tears. Warming them in a skillet is enough for tacos and burritos, but when making flautas or enchiladas, I fry them in a neutral oil briefly, just until they’ve become a rich yellow color, before I fill and roll them.

The recipe:

• 1 1/2 pounds pork shoulder

• 8 oz chorizo

• 1 onion, quartered

• 2 jalapenos, seeds removed and halved

• 1 ancho chili, seeds removed

• 1 guajillo chili, seeds removed

• 4 cloves garlic, whole, peeled

• salt and pepper

• 1/2 cup cilantro, plus more to garnish

• 2 limes

• 16-24 corn tortillas

• Mexican crema, to garnish

• 1/2 lb fresh tomatoes, halved
  

Slice your onion and peppers in half, removing the seeds. Slice the tomatoes in half, and sprinkle with salt on the cut side. Rest for 10 minutes, and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat the broiler, leaving the door slightly ajar or propped open so it stays hot. Line a baking sheet with metal foil, and place veggies, peppers with the skin side up and the onions and tomatoes with the insides facing up. Broil 15-20 minutes, until pepper skins are thoroughly black but not dried, snd tomatoes have just started to burst. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F/160C

Place dried chilies on a dry plate and microwave twice, at 15 second intervals, flipping them over in between. Add them to a small bowl, and cover with boiling water and plastic wrap. Once rehydrated and soft, blend with their soaking liquid until completely smooth.

Preheat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat your pork shoulder dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Bring a thin layer of lard just up to where it begins to smoke, and sear the meat on all sides. Once done, reserve to the side. Reduce the heat to medium and add chorizo, cooking until browned and slightly crispy. Remove the chorizo and put it in the fridge, we’ll come back to it later. The cooking oil should have an orange tint to it, but should not be burnt.

Add the garlic and bay leaf, and cook while stirring 30-60 seconds. Deglaze the pan with the dried pepper purée, and add the pork back in with a handful of cilantro, broiled vegetables, and a heavy dose of salt and pepper.

Cover Dutch oven and cook in preheated oven for 3-4 hours, until the pork easily shreds, checking at least twice. Remove pork and shred, and combine with the browned chorizo from before in a bowl.

Remove the bay leaf, and add all of the contents of the Dutch oven to the blender, and blend until the desired consistency is reached. Season to taste with salt, lime, and another handful of cilantro.

In a small frying pan, heat up a tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the meat, chorizo, and 1/2 cup of the salsa, and cook until reduced snd sauce sticks to the meat. Reserve to the side.

In a skillet, heat a thin layer of oil. Gently cook corn tortillas on each side until a rich yellow color, and let cool. Stuff with 2-3 tablespoons of the meat mixture, and fold or roll them up, seam side down. Carefully transfer to the pan again and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side.

To plate, make a thin layer of salsa cover the whole plate. Place 3 flautas side by side, and cover with more salsa. Drizzle with crema and cilantro, and a slice of lime.