StewsHardFree

Tatemado de Cerdo (Slow-Cooked Pork in Chilli Sauce)

Name: Tatemado de Cerdo (Slow-Cooked Pork in Chilli Sauce)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 225 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 Whole cloves; 3 Dried ancho chillies; 2 tbsp White vinegar; 6 cloves Garlic cloves; 1 tsp Dried oregano; 2 leaves Bay leaves; 1500 g Pork loin, cut into pieces; 2 Dried pasilla chillies; 1 tsp Whole cumin seeds; 1 tsp Black pepper; 4 Tomatoes; 5 Allspice berries; 1 tbsp Salt; 1 White onion; 750 ml Pork stock or water; 3 Dried mulato chillies; 3 Dried guajillo chillies; 2 Sour oranges; 3 tbsp Olive oil

225 min (45 prep + 180 cook) Hard 8 servings Colima/Jalisco

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 27 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Pork marinated in mulato, ancho and pasilla chilli paste, slow-cooked Colima-Jalisco style.

Servings

Custom:

💰 Estimated cost: £15.40

£1.93 per person

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Ingredients

4 Whole cloves~£0.08find
3 Dried ancho chillies~£0.60find
2 tbsp White vinegar~£0.10find
6 cloves Garlic cloves~£0.15find
1 tsp Dried oregano~£0.05find
2 leaves Bay leaves~£0.05find
1500 g Pork loin, cut into pieces~£10.00find
2 Dried pasilla chillies~£0.40find
1 tsp Whole cumin seeds~£0.10find
1 tsp Black pepper~£0.05find
4 Tomatoes~£1.20find
5 Allspice berries~£0.10find
1 tbsp Salt~£0.02find
1 White onion~£0.30find
750 ml Pork stock or water~£0.50find
3 Dried mulato chillies~£0.60find
3 Dried guajillo chillies~£0.40find
2 Sour oranges~£0.40find
3 tbsp Olive oil~£0.30find

About this recipe

Tatemado de cerdo is a deep, aromatic pork stew from western Mexico, particularly Colima and Jalisco. The pork is marinated in a paste of dried chillies - mulato, ancho, pasilla and guajillo - with spices and sour orange, then slow-cooked until tender and bathed in a thick, complex sauce. It is a celebratory dish that concentrates the most representative flavours of Coliman cuisine.

History & Origin

Tatemado - from the Nahuatl 'tlatema', meaning to char or toast - is one of the oldest and most complex stews of western Mexico. Its history traces back to the pre-Hispanic kitchens of the cultures that inhabited the Pacific coast and the highlands of Jalisco and Colima, where the technique of marinating meats in toasted chilli pastes was fundamental for preserving and seasoning food before cooking. With the arrival of pigs to the Americas in the sixteenth century, the original indigenous recipe - likely made with venison or wild boar - found in pork loin and leg the perfect meat to absorb the intense flavours of mulato, ancho and pasilla chillies. The combination of dark chillies with sour orange, spices and the gentle charring of ingredients on the griddle is what distinguishes this dish from other pork in chilli stews. In Colima, tatemado is the obligatory dish at patron saint festivals and traditional weddings, where the village's most experienced cooks demonstrate their mastery through the hours devoted to preparing this stew.

Estimated cost

£19.00

Total cost

£2.38

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

520

Calories

38g

Protein

24g

Carbohydrates

28g

Fat

Fibre

780mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Deseed and devein all the chillies: mulato, ancho, pasilla and guajillo. Toast on a dry griddle for 30 seconds per side. Soak in hot water for 20 minutes until softened.
💡 Do not burn the chillies or they will make the stew bitter.
2
Char directly on the dry griddle: the tomatoes, onion and garlic until well blackened. Also briefly toast the cloves, allspice and cumin to activate their essential oils.
3
Blend the soaked chillies with the soaking water (strain first), charred tomatoes, onion, garlic, cloves, allspice, cumin, oregano, vinegar and sour orange juice until you have a smooth, thick paste.
4
Cut the pork loin into medium pieces. Marinate the meat with half the chilli paste, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
💡 A long marinade greatly intensifies the final flavour.
5
Heat the oil in a clay pot or heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Sear the marinated pork pieces on all sides until well browned, in batches to avoid crowding. Remove and set aside.
6
In the same pot, briefly fry the remaining chilli paste for 3 minutes. Return the seared meat. Pour in enough stock to almost cover. Add the bay leaves. Cover and cook over very low heat for 2.5-3 hours until the meat is very tender.
💡 Tatemado can also be made in the oven at 150°C for 3 hours.
7
Uncover for the last 30 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce and concentrate. Adjust salt. Serve with white rice and refried beans.