Good old-fashioned barbecue inspired chef Cristina Martinez to create these flavorful rellenos, which she pairs with a refreshing jicama slaw. Her go-to seasoning is Spiceology’s Cowboy Crust and Smoky Honey Habanero spice blends, but you can substitute your favorite spices. Any leftover pork is easy to freeze.

ROASTED CHILES

  • 8–10 fresh Hatch chiles​

CRUMB MIXTURE

  • 4 cups blue and yellow corn chips, finely crumbled
  • 6 cups dried-out cornbread crumbs, slightly toasted but very dry and very fine (or plain panko crumbs)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Smoked paprika, to taste
  • Garlic powder, to taste
  • Onion powder, to taste

SMOKED PULLED PORK

  • ½ cup salt
  • 4 pounds pork butt, rubbed with a strong BBQ seasoning (The meat will shrink by half after cooking.)
  • 1 pound brown sugar
  • 4 cups quality orange juice
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup tamari
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons chipotle powder
  • 3 cups Manchego cheese, grated (reserve 1 cup for garnish)
  • 3 cups Muenster cheese, grated (reserve 1 cup for garnish)
  • About 1 cup of reserved braising liquid, to season

RED CHILE SAUCE

  • 1 large tub Bueno Red Chile Puree (or puree your own boiled and softened dried pods)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 yellow onion, cut into quarters and blackened in cast-iron pan
  • Salt or chicken bouillon, to taste
  • ¼ cup cornstarch mixed with ½ cup water, to make a slurry
  • Pork braising liquid, to taste

JICAMA SLAW

  • 1 cup finely shredded red cabbage
  • 1 large jicama, peeled, cut with flat sides on each end, and julienned into thin strips
  • 1 red bell pepper, julienned into thin strips
  • ¼ cup roasted corn
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 4 green onions, cut on long bias
  • ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream

ASSEMBLY

  • 3 quarts vegetable oil, depending on size​ of pot, for frying
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • Smoked paprika, to taste
  • Salt, to taste
  • ¼ cup cotija for garnish

Serves 4–6 (1–2 rellenos per person)

ROASTED CHILES

  1. Roast the chiles on the grill or open flame.
  2. Place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap while hot, to steam.
  3. When cool, peel, cut a slit from stem to end, and deseed slightly. Do not wash with water, as this takes away the chile flavors from the roasting.
  4. Cover and refrigerate.

CRUMB MIXTURE

  1. Mix chips and cornbread crumbs together into a fine crumb mix. Season with salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. (You can do this in a food processor, with just a few pulses.)
  2. Place in a long, open container for the assembly portion of the recipe (see below).

SMOKED PULLED PORK

  1. Rub salt all over pork butt and place in large, deep roasting pan.
  2. Add brown sugar, orange juice, vinegar, tamari, water, and chipotle powder around the pork.
  3. Cover and cook for about 3½ to 4 hours at 325°, until internal temperature reaches 205°. Add more water if liquid gets low during the cooking process.
  4. When pork is completely cooled, reserve about 1 cup of braising liquid and remove fat. Shred pork as finely as possible.
  5. Stir the cheeses and braising liquid into the shredded pork. The mixture should be firm and pliable. (You can use a paddle attachment on a mixer to really shred it.)

RED CHILE SAUCE

  1. In a large pot, bring chile puree, garlic, water, onion, and salt or bouillon to simmer together, and blend in a blender.
  2. Stir in cornstarch-water slurry to thicken.
  3. Add some of the pork braising liquid, to taste.

JICAMA SLAW

  1. Firm up the shredded cabbage in ice water so it’s crispy. Remove and dry it, then mix all the vegetables in a large bowl. Add rice wine vinegar, honey, chipotle powder, crushed garlic, and mustard. Stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  2. Slowly add olive oil, stirring quickly.
  3. Stir in sour cream.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Stuff chiles with lots of pork mixture. The chile does not have to close; a gap can be present for larger rellenos.
  2. Preheat oil in pot or deep fryer to 325°. (Use a deep-fryer thermometer to measure temperature.)
  3. Beat eggs and water in a long, open container.
  4. Season flour with smoked paprika and salt, and place in a second long, open container.
  5. Dip each relleno in flour mixture and coat all over. Knock off the excess flour, then place in egg mixture and coat well. Place in prepared chip-and-crumb mixture, really pressing into the breading.
  6. Deep-fry until nice and crispy. Color should be a dark golden brown.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°.
  8. Lay rellenos in baking dish and pour the red chile sauce over the middle, leaving the ends uncovered.
  9. Combine Manchego and Muenster cheeses reserved for garnish. Place over the middle of the rellenos in dish.
  10. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and rellenos are hot inside.
  11. To plate, top each relleno with a good amount of jicama slaw, then garnish with cotija cheese.

This recipe originally appeared in Reinventing the Relleno by Lynn Cline.