A delicious recipe for meat lovers, served the Mexican way
- Serves 4
- 4 pork shanks (approximately 500 g each)
- 4 tablespoons plantain flour
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ lemon zested
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ small box achiote paste
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup amber beer
- 4 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 sprigs of rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 4 tomatoes roughly chopped
- 240 ml (8 oz) chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Coat each shank in the flour and gently tap off any excess. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and brown the pork on all sides. Meanwhile, combine the cocoa powder, lemon zest, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, achiote paste, and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Remove the browned shanks and rub with the above mixture. Add the onion, orange juice, beer, parsley, garlic, 4 sprigs of rosemary, thyme, tomatoes and chicken stock to a slow cooker. Then add the shanks and set the timer for 8 hours, occasionally turning the pork. If you decide to use your oven, pre-heat it to 325° F and cook for 3-4 hours until it is fall-off-the-bone tender. Top each shank with some sauce and a sprig of rosemary. Serve with rice, beans and lots of corn tortillas for dipping in the sauce.
Note
Achiote paste can be found in all grocery stores in Quintana Roo. It can be found in the canned pepper or canned tomato aisle. Even if your shanks are large, cook four of them anyway, any leftovers will make for a great pulled pork sandwich.Pork is reasonably inexpensive, but for a richer twist on this recipe use lamb shank instead. Make the shanks the day before serving, allowing all the flavors to mingle. Just reheat them for 30 minutes before serving. The sauce will keep them moist.
