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Home Mains Pork

Mexican Chipotle Pork & Beans

By:Nagi
Published:8 May '23Updated:18 Aug '23
74 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans is a big pot of saucy, shreddable meat in a rich, spicy, chipotle sauce. Pork shoulder is slow cooked into fall-apart submission with meaty lima beans that absorbs the bold flavoured sauce. Stuff in tacos, serve over red rice, or eat like stew!

Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans with tortillas, avocado and limes on the side

Pot of freshly cooked Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans

Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans

This food is me on a plate.

Well, in a pot.

Hunks of juicy meat that’s so tender, it’s barely holding together when you scoop it out. A bold sauce that’s spicy, tangy and deeply savoury. Big creamy beans littered throughout that’s absorbed the flavour of the sauce, making beans tastier and dreamier than you ever imagined possible.

That it’s straightforward to make is a (big) bonus. It’s just like making a stew. In fact, that’s my favourite way to serve this – ladled into bowls like stew, except with tortillas on the side for dunking instead of serving it over the usual mash!

Bowl of Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans

Ingredients in Mexican Chipotle Pork and Bean

Here’s what you need to make big pot of Mexican deliciousness!

Seasoned pork

This dish is made with pork shoulder which is an economical tough cut of meat that needs to be slow cooked to fall-apart tenderness. I just use cumin to flavour it before searing because the pork absorbs so much flavour while it’s slow cooking, it really doesn’t need much on the surface!

Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans ingredients

The chipotle sauce (and beans!)

And here’s what you need to make the rich chipotle sauce that the pork is braised in. Flavour to the max!!

Ingredients in Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans
  • Chipotle in adobo (photo below) – The hero ingredient, I adore this Mexican sauce! It’s made with chipotles which are rehydrated and canned in a tangy, spicy red sauce that packs a load of flavour. (Chipotles are smoked, dried jalapeños).

    In this recipe, we’re using both the chipotles and sauce (some recipes only use one or the other) and pureeing the chipotles for maximum flavour release and to make a smooth sauce.

    Where to find it – Those of you in the States are lucky enough to find chipotle in adobo virtually “everywhere”! In Australia – find it in the Mexican aisle of large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies), Harris Farms, as well as independent grocers. I use La Morena which I buy from Harris Farms – $3.29 for 200g/7 oz (we use the whole can).

  • Butter beans (aka lima beans) – The big, fat, meaty beans you always see at the store that you wonder what to do with. Well, now you know! 😂 Feel free to substitute with other beans, though I do think creamy beans work better than smaller, firm ones like black beans, chickpeas etc.

    Why canned instead of dried beans? I find that the cook time for dried beans (especially large ones like butter beans) can vary quite drastically depending on the age, size and quality of the beans. Which means for dishes like this, sometimes the beans are done before the pork is, sometimes they are still hard when the pork is done. It’s not too bad pulling the pork out and leaving the beans to cook for longer. But it is a pain to take the beans out to continue cooking the pork! So, canned is my preference here.

  • Orange juice – Yes! A secret ingredient used in Mexican cooking to add sweetness and more flavour than just adding sugar into things (eg carnitas, fajitas). Doesn’t make it taste orangey because once it’s slow cooked, the flavour completely transforms.

  • Chicken stock – For the braising liquid. Low sodium please, otherwise your dish might end up too salty.

  • Tomato paste – For flavour and thickening. It’s sautéed to cook out the raw, sour flavour before mixing into the braising liquid.

  • Herbs and spices – Nothing unusual here! Oregano, coriander, allspice, bay leaves.

  • Onion and garlic – Flavour base.

Chipotle in adobo
Chipotle in adobo


How to make Chipotle pork and beans

This recipe starts off by searing the pork on the stove before transferring to the oven to braise until the pork is fall-apart tender, giving the sauce time to develop fabulous deep, savoury flavour.

How to make Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans
  1. Puree the chipotle in adobo using a stick blender. The chipotle is really soft so it literally takes seconds.

  2. Season pork – Cut the pork into 6 equal pieces, for ease of handling to sear, more surface area for browning and so they cook faster than a whole pork shoulder. Then sprinkle with the cumin, salt and pepper.

  3. Brown the pork in two batches, using a heavy based oven-proof pot. Rotate the pork to brown all over. Remember, colour = flavour! Once done, remove the pork onto a plate.

  4. Sauté sauce flavour base – Using the same pot, sauté the garlic, onion, dried herbs and spices. Sautéing dried herbs and spices is a neat trick for getting extra flavour out of them – it makes them “bloom”.

    Next, cook off the tomato paste followed by the pureed chipotle in adobo. Cooking off pastes is a great flavour trick as it intensifies flavour as well as taking off the raw, sour edge. It also depends the savoury flavour so you get more out of less!

How to make Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans
  1. Braising liquid – Add all the remaining ingredients except the beans into the sauce – the orange juice, stock, spices and bay leaves. The beans are added later else they will overcook and become too mushy.

    Give it all a good mix then place the pork in, along with any juices pooled on the plate (never waste free flavour!). Arrange the pork as best you can so they are submerged under the liquid. But don’t worry if there’s some of the surface poking above because it will steam-cook and also the pork will shrink as it cooks so it will eventually sink below the surface.

  2. Slow cook – Put the lid on and transfer to the oven to slow cook for 2 hours at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). This temperature might sound high for slow cooking but it equates to a gentle simmer on the stove, which is suitable for slow cooking meats.

    Other cook methods – 6 hours in a slow cooker on low or 2 hours on the stove.

  3. Beans – Remove the pot from the oven. The pork should be pretty much fork tender by this stage. Add the beans and push them in as best you can under the liquid.

  4. Bake uncovered – Return the pot to the oven to bake uncovered for 30 minutes to caramelise the surface which adds extra flavour. Also by this stage, the pork should be tender enough so you can pry it apart using two forks without any effort at all.

    If you used your slow cooker or the stove, I do recommend doing this final step in the oven because the caramelising of the surface does add extra flavour!

And that’s it! To serve, just scoop up pieces of pork and beans, and ladle into bowls or onto a plate for serving. See below for ways to eat this pot of fall-apart-spicy-meaty-beany deliciousness!

Freshly cooked Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans
You will love how the big creamy butter beans absorb the flavour of the sauce!

How to serve Chipotle Pork and Beans

As I mentioned at the beginning, my favourite way. to serve Chipotle Pork and Beans is in a bowl like stew. Just use a spoon or fork to cut off bits of pork (which takes barely a touch!) then get a big scoop with beans and plenty of sauce.

I like to add a bit of avocado and sprinkle of coriander/cilantro for freshness, and tortillas for dunking / bowl mopping is essential in my world.

Having said that, here are some other options – all dish worthy!

Fluffy, beautifully seasoned Mexican Red Rice (Arroz Rojo). Truly like what you get at restaurants! recipetineats.com
Mexican Red Rice is a terrific side option!
Grilled Corn with Chipotle Adobo Mayo (Restaurant Copycat) - this is the best corn I have ever had in my life. Grilling and stovetop instructions included.
Mexican corn with chipotle mayonnaise – another great side option
Plate of tortillas stuffed with Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans
Use this chipotle pork and beans to make wickedly good tacos!
Tortilla taco stuffed with Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans
  1. Served over Mexican red rice – or put a big Mexican plate together with Mexican corn cobs (pictured above).

  2. As a taco filling with your toppings of choice! It’s pictured above with avocado slices, finely chopped white onion, fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and lime wedges. There’s no need for a separate sauce – this is saucy enough as is!

  3. Burritos to die for! Switch the chicken in this burrito recipe.

  4. Shred up the pork and mix it up into the sauce with the beans. Then use it to make a giant nachos (switch out the chicken in this nachos recipe), as an enchilada filling, make tostada or simply scoop up with corn chips.

  5. Turn it into a hearty soup – Add extra chicken stock/broth to thin the sauce and make it less intense, so it becomes suitable to be a soup broth. Then serve it as soup!

So many possibilities! What do you think? Which serving option appeals to you? – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans with tortillas, avocado and limes on the side

Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins
Total: 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Mains
Mexican
4.91 from 20 votes
Servings6 – 8 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. This is a big pot of saucy, shreddable meat in a rich, spicy, chipotle sauce. Pork shoulder is slow cooked into fall-apart submission with meaty lima beans that absorbs the bold flavoured sauce.
Stuff in tacos, serve over red rice, eat like stew!
SPICE NOTE: This sauce is spicy. Not off-the-charts spicy, but it has a good kick! If you're concerned, remove half the chillis from the can of chipotle in adobo (as the chillies are where the spiciness is). If you're still worried, best to give this a miss because chipotle in adobo IS spicy!!

Ingredients

Pork:

  • 1.5kg / 3lb pork shoulder (skinless, boneless), cut into 6 equal pieces (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp cumin powder

Sauce:

  • 200g / 7 oz chipotle in adobo – the chillis + sauce (Note 2)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion , finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves , finely minced
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 cup orange juice (real, not reconstituted sweetened stuff – Note 3)
  • 2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium
  • 2 bay leaves (fresh, else dried)
  • 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 3 x 420g / 16 oz canned butter beans / lima beans , or other of choice (Note 4)

Dried herbs & spices

  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp allspice powder

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
  • SPICINESS – Read note above about spiciness!
  • Puree chipotle in adobo until smooth using a stick blender or similar.
  • Sprinkle pork all over with salt, pepper and cumin.
  • Brown pork – Heat all the oil in a large oven-proof pot over high heat. Brown the pork all over in 2 batches, the remove onto a plate (~ 1 minute each side).
  • Sauté – Cool the pot slightly then return to medium heat. If the pot looks dry, add 1 tbsp oil. Sauté onion, garlic, the herbs & spices for 3 minutes.
  • Cook off tomato & chipotle – Add tomato paste and cook it off for 2 minutes. Add chipotle puree and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Slow cook 2 hours – Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT beans. Stir, then bring to simmer. Place pork in – arrange so its submerged as best as possible. Cover with lid. Place in oven for 2 hours. (Note 6 other cook methods)
  • Add beans, cook 30 min – Remove lid, add beans. Return to oven for 30 minutes without lid to caramelise the surface. The pork will be fork-tender!
  • Serve like stew over Mexican red rice or with tortillas for dunking. Or make wickedly food tacos with finely chopped white onion, fresh coriander/cilantro, avocado slices and a squeeze of lime. More serving options above the recipe video.

Recipe Notes:

1. Pork shoulder – Tough cut of meat made for slow cooking into fall apart submission. Chuck beef and boneless beef ribs will also work great!
2. Chipotle in adobo – smoked, dried jalapeños (chipotles) that are rehydrated and canned in a tangy, spicy red sauce that packs a load of flavour. In this recipe, we’re using both the chipotles and sauce (some recipes only use one or the other) and pureeing the chipotles for maximum flavour release.
3. Orange juice is used sparingly like stock in Mexican cooking. It doesn’t make it taste orangey, it adds a touch of sweetness and more flavour than just using sugar.
4. Beans – I realise butter beans are not authentic but I love how big and meaty they are, it just works with the succulent pork! Pinto or black beans would be a more strictly authentic choice for Mexican cooking, though honestly, any type of beans will work here.
5. Other cook methods: Slow cooker 6 hours on low or 2 hours on the stove on a low heat, stirring every now and then to ensure the base doesn’t catch.
However, the final 30 minutes in the oven is recommended no matter what slow cook method you use as it caramelises the surface (flavour boost!) and reduces the sauce.
6. Store in the fridge for 4 days, or freezer for 3 months.
Nutrition per serving assuming 8.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 323cal (16%)Carbohydrates: 27g (9%)Protein: 27g (54%)Fat: 12g (18%)Saturated Fat: 3g (19%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 70mg (23%)Sodium: 1079mg (47%)Potassium: 820mg (23%)Fiber: 8g (33%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 217IU (4%)Vitamin C: 20mg (24%)Calcium: 70mg (7%)Iron: 5mg (28%)
Keywords: chipotle pork, mexican pork
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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74 Comments

  1. Robin says

    October 28, 2023 at 12:51 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious Nagi! The chunks of meat were perfectly cooked, and the beans in that sauce, served on rice, was so so good. I used half a jar of “la costena chipotle in adobo sauce” which was about 100g – perfect level of heat for us!

    Reply
  2. Half Baked Cook says

    October 4, 2023 at 6:41 pm

    5 stars
    I give this a 5 drool 🤤 rating, 100%! I used ‘oyster blade roast’ beef since I can’t stomach pork. Did steps 3-7 the night before and left it in the fridge overnight, simply because I knew I wouldn’t have time in the morning. Then put it in the slow cooker the next morning for 7hrs on low, while we were out for the day. Oh my goodness! Too good for words!! Thank you Nagi…& Dozer…again!!

    Reply
  3. Marianne says

    August 27, 2023 at 8:06 pm

    Very nice recipe, I only put 2 cans of beans but next time will put 3 as per the recipe.

    Reply
  4. Rebecca Preston says

    August 9, 2023 at 8:34 am

    5 stars
    Wow! Wasn’t sure about beans and pork but this was a standout! Ate it as tacos, and on its own with salad. New family favourite and very economical…

    Reply
  5. Chris says

    July 18, 2023 at 9:23 pm

    Another amazing recipe! Made for dinner tonight and so so easy and delicious. Set up a “choose your own adventure” taco board. My favourite side was a pineapple salsa – the sweet acidity balanced the richness and spice of the pork beautifully ( combined fresh diced pineapple with coriander, diced red onion and lime zest and juice). Only had a kilo piece of pork so used two cans of beans. Easily fed a family of four adults with loads of leftovers

    Reply
  6. Jacqueline Chan says

    June 29, 2023 at 11:51 pm

    5 stars
    We wiped it all up. It is so flavourful! The sauce is so multidimensional, tomatoey + slightly spiciness + smokiness. Thank you Nagi!

    Reply
  7. Roz says

    June 27, 2023 at 12:44 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is genius. I love lima beans and I had just cooked up some Royal Coronas from Rancho Gordo. (They are giant Lima Beans I only learned about through them.) They were so good in this. The whole recipe was so tasty. I made your Mexican rice recipe to serve with it and that was outstanding. (I’m totally addicted to that.) When my husband went to the grocery store the next time he came back with a pork shoulder (without it being on the list), so I guess you know you won him over too. Thanks for a delightful food blog full of great recipes. (I just ordered your book and am looking forward to it.)

    Reply
  8. Michelle says

    June 16, 2023 at 7:22 pm

    5 stars
    I made this the other week and my goodness it was soooo good!! Made it in the slow cooker and made dinner time after work so easy (and delicious!!)

    Reply
  9. Kathy Warren says

    June 15, 2023 at 7:10 am

    I fixed this a couple of nights ago. THERE WERE NO LEFTOVERS!!!! This is with a child that REFUSES to eat butter beans no matter how they are fixed. This is also with a very picky 11 yr old that doesn’t like spicy. They tore it up! We made tacos with it! The BEST tacos we have ever had. Ty so much for this recipe. We will definitely be making this again soon!

    Reply
  10. T says

    June 11, 2023 at 12:39 pm

    We like seasoning and spice but this was too much. I cut the chipotle in adobo to 1/3 and this still hurts. I’m a baby so I need sour cream or something. But I can still appreciate the recipe is on point, the pork was falling apart!

    Reply
  11. Roz says

    June 6, 2023 at 10:59 am

    5 stars
    Made this tonight, with the Mexican Rice recipe you also have. Both were great. I had some Lima beans from Rancho Gordo already cooked and frozen for a “rainy day.” I added them. They were perfect in this. Your recommendation for using lima beans was spot on. I’ll definitely make it again. In fact I’m also thinking of other things to do just with the chipotle in adobo and lima beans! I can see myself making the rice again too. Tomorrow I’m going to make tortillas and we’ll have leftovers. Thanks for that suggestion too. Can’t wait to try other things you’ve suggested.

    Reply
  12. Sharon H says

    June 5, 2023 at 7:47 pm

    Made this yesterday. Will definitely be a repeat recipe. Loved it!!

    Reply
  13. Sally says

    June 2, 2023 at 10:10 pm

    5 stars
    So delicious! Made this with 2kg of pork shoulder so scaled it all up a bit but used just under the recommended amount of Chipotle in Adobe and that was the perfect spiciness for the kids. Great with the mexican red rice. Love the caramelisation at the end superb flavours and textures.

    Reply
  14. Robyn says

    May 28, 2023 at 9:03 pm

    Hi Nagi,
    Such a delicious recipe. How would you reheat it? Thanks! R

    Reply
  15. Wendylou says

    May 27, 2023 at 12:34 pm

    Another winner in our house Nagi, you sure have many talents and FOOD FLAVORS are “A” one.

    Reply
  16. J-Mom says

    May 26, 2023 at 9:44 pm

    5 stars
    Another, total winner!!! Just so flavorful. And the stew did really caramelize and color deepening with the last 30 minutes. It looked gorgeous.

    Reply
  17. Christina Davison says

    May 19, 2023 at 7:28 pm

    5 stars
    I made this dish for my family in Portugal who LOVE chipotle and all things spicy. This was a real crowd pleaser everyone went back for more, including a 15 month old who had hers well chopped up! Will definitely be making this more. Thanks Nagi! ☺️☺️

    Reply
  18. Angela Murray says

    May 18, 2023 at 1:28 pm

    We loved this dish last night! I love those, earthy, smoky, bonfireish smells from the chipotle and the melting pork. I would have said it was medium heat, not very spicey. An absolute repeater for our very cold wintery Sydney winter at the moment. The tins of chipotle sauce are available in the North Sydney Greenwood Shopping centre in the the green grocers.
    I am in love with my new airfryer, So If possible, in your busy life, some air fryer recipes would be lovely. No pressure, of course!

    Reply
  19. Cheryl Newton says

    May 17, 2023 at 2:11 pm

    5 stars
    Loved it! Relatively painless to make as well. Our local Woolies stocks the chipotle adobo which is so easy to add to my weekly shop.l delivery.
    We will be making this one again for sure!
    I didn’t read the tins of beans correctly so we only had 1 x can of butter beans and 1 x can black beans and it was still wonderful.

    Reply
  20. Peta says

    May 16, 2023 at 12:49 am

    we don’t get tinned jalapeños in our country. Can I chop in fresh ones ?

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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