Carne Adovada Authentic Mexican Pork Stew Recipe Instant Pot Recipe

What Is Carne Adovada?

Before you dive right into making a Carne Adovada dinner, you might wonder exactly what it is. For starters, it’s delicious. To be more specific, it’s a traditional New Mexican pork stew with ground red chiles. Don’t be intimidated by the description, though. I promise it’s not super spicy.

What Is The Difference Between Carne Adovada And Carne Asada?

If you’re not familiar with Mexican cuisine, you may be wondering what the differences between these two dishes are. When you break it down, the only thing they seem to have in common is that they are both flavorful meat dishes. Carne Adovada is pork that is cooked slowly (or quickly in the Instant Pot for this recipe) in a rich chile-flavored liquid. It is typically made with pork shoulder. Carne Asada is beef that is marinated and then grilled. It is typically made with flank steak or skirt steak.

What Does Carne Adovada Taste Like?

This Carne Adovada recipe is an absolute flavor bomb for your taste buds. With a combination of sweetness from the raisin, umami from the fish sauce, and spice from the Mexican red chili powder and chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, you’re guaranteed to come back to this recipe over and over again.

What Is Carne Adovada Made Of?

While this may seem like a daunting list of ingredients at first glance, most of the ingredients are either pantry or spice rack staples. Here’s what you’ll need to make Carne Adovada:

Raisins- Adds natural sweetness to the recipeBoneless Pork Shoulder- Cut into large piecesFish SauceOilRed Onion. chopped- Coarsely choppedGarlicKosher SaltDried OreganoApple Cider VinegarAncho Chile PowderChipotle Chile in Adobo SauceMexican Red Chili Powder- NOT Cayenne, look for ones that have other spices blendedXanthan Gum- You can also use a cornstarch slurry if you’re not eating low carb

How To Make Carne Adovada

A lot of this involves single pot cooking, where my Instant pot comes in very handy. But for this dish, I also needed to brown onions and bloom a few spices. I really didn’t feel up to dirtying another pan, but I knew skipping out on browning the onions was not a smart idea. So I used the microwave. I’m here to tell you, that you CAN actually brown onions in the microwave. I chopped up the onions and put them in a paper bowl along with the oil and spices and cooked them, and they browned on their own, with no babysitting, while I cut up the pork.

Tips And Tricks

Do not confuse Mexican chile powder with Cayenne pepper in this Instant Pot Carne Adovada. The Mexican version is blended with other spices such as cumin. It’s a rich flavor, but it’s not pure heat like cayenne pepper will have. Even so, this is a richly-spiced pork stew, but try not to make it inedible by using the wrong kind of chili powder.If you have too much liquid, either set your pot on sauté for 5-10 minutes to let some of it evaporate, or sprinkle with xanthan gum to thicken while sautéeing. You can also make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch and the water and pour into the pot. Let it boil to thicken.

How Long Does It Last?

This Carne Adovada recipe is one of those recipes that tastes even better leftover than it does fresh out of the Instant Pot. The longer it sits, the more the flavor of the sauce is infused into the pork. For food safety reasons, try to enjoy any leftovers you may have within 5 days of preparing the dish.

More Must-Try Mexican Recipes

Looking for more great Mexican recipes to check out? Give my Arroz Con Pollo a try! This Mexican chicken and rice dish is sure to make the whole family happy! Another great Mexican dish is my Rajas con Crema y Elote. It’s a great mix of poblano peppers, onions, and corn, cooked in the Instant Pot that’s absolutely delicious! Another great Mexican dish is my Instant Pot Mexican Ground Beef Casserole With Rice And Beans. It’s a super family-friendly meal that you’re going to love!

Want More Pork Recipes?

Pulled Pork- loaded with delicious Mexican flavor.Pork Carnitas- Make these in your Instant Pot. Instant Pot Pulled Pork- tacos seasoned with Indian spices.Smoked Mexican Pork Shoulder- lovely smoked flavors.Pressure Cooker Carne Adovada- a low carb delight.Schezuan Pork Soup- Sichuan cuisine made at home.Chile Verde- a quick and easy pork recipe.Instant Pot Pork Stew- a hearty low carb soup.

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