Puerco en Salsa Verde Recipe

Puerco en Salsa Verde (also called Carne de Puerco en Salsa Verde) is a popular Mexican dish full of succulent pork and beautiful, fresh and spicy flavors. It's so delicious -- everyone will be licking their plates clean!

I love when my recipe inspiration comes from unexpected conversations.

When I met the parents of one of my son's peers from Michoacán, Mexico, we struck up a conversation about food. (Go figure.)

They told me about their favorite, authentic Mexican dishes, and were the most enthusiastic when it came to the incredibly delicious Puerco en Salsa Verde.

I love simplicity of it, with very few, but very vibrant ingredients, and the easy preparation.

The Ingredients

• onion - Try to choose onions that are firm, heavy for their size and without bruises.
• fresh garlic - Look for firm heads of garlic without soft spots or green shoots, which are an indication it's old and likely bitter. Raw cloves should be firm without dark spots. (Pro tip: if there are green shoots in your garlic cloves, slice them in half, lengthwise, and remove the green root with the tip of a knife. The rest of the clove should still be good.)
• jalapeño peppers - A good jalapeño chile pepper should be firm, deeply colored and slightly shiny.
• tomatillos - Select tomatillos with a husk that covers the fruit completely. Beneath the husk, they should be a deep green color and a bit sticky.
• olive oil - For the grill.
• cilantro - Choose perky bunches and avoid wilted and yellow leaves.
• salt and black pepper

Tips for Making Puerco en Salsa Verde

• You should adjust the amount of jalapeños you use to your liking. This depends on the amount of heat you want. I tend to use more of them, and remove more seeds, which is where a good portion of the heat is.
• It's fun to make the salsa the authentic way, but to save time use a food processor or blender. It will still be delicious.

I chose to use a pork tenderloin, though it seems a more traditional choice is pork butt or shoulder.

I wanted a quick cooking time, and the tenderloin never disappoints.

Making the Salsa Verde

While of course one could use a food processor or blender for the Salsa Verde recipe, the flavor is superior when it's made with a molcajete and tejolote, a Mexican, granite mortar and pestle.

- Preheat a stove top or outdoor grill.

- Drizzle the tomatillo halves, whole jalapeños, onion wedges and garlic cloves lightly with olive oil. Once the grill is very hot add these ingredients. You should hear a sizzle when they hit the grill -- if you don't, it's not hot enough yet.

- Remove the ingredients when they're nicely charred and soft-- this will not be all at the same time, and will take about 15 minutes. Place them on a large plate as you go.

- Once everything is grilled, cut the stems off the jalapeños, and slice them into smaller pieces, removing the seeds if less heat is preferred. (I usually leave a bit less than ¼ of the seeds, but this is a personal preference.) Cut the tiny root end off the garlic cloves, as well.

- If you have a mortar (the larger, the better), add the grilled ingredients and the cilantro in small batches, and mash them with the pestle until it's the consistency you desire -- I like it somewhere between saucy and chunky.

- You can season the salsa to taste with salt and pepper if you want to. (I don't find it necessary.) Set the salsa aside.

This recipe is likely not exactly as it was told to me, but this Puerco en Salsa Verde turned out to be absolutely fantastic.

The kind of delicious where I could hardly keep my hands off of it before serving it to my family.

The ingredients are so beautiful, so fresh, and so rich with flavor! Add to that, a bit of the char flavor from the grill, and it's over the top!

More Delicious Mexican Recipes

• Ancho Chile Enchilada Sauce
• Best Vegetarian Enchilads
• Shrimp Tomatillo Ceviche
• Mexican Blackened Salmon
• Roasted Tomato Poblano Salsa

Enjoy every last bite of this Carne de Puerco en Salsa Verde!

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