Tinga Poblana

How to make it

1. Put the pork shoulder in a large pot with the halved onion, the three garlic cloves, the bay leaves, and the salt. Add the water so the meat is covered, and bring it slowly to a boil. Skim the gray foam off the surface until the broth runs clear. ⏱ 10 min
2. Cover with a lid and turn the heat down until the broth just barely shivers. Let the meat simmer for 80-90 minutes, until it falls apart with a light press of a fork. If the broth boils hard, the shreds will turn dry instead of juicy. ⏱ 1 h 20 min–1 h 30 min · passive
   Chef's tip Look for lazy bubbles breaking one at a time at the edge, around 85-90°C. A rolling boil squeezes the muscle fibers and drives moisture out faster than the collagen melts, so the shreds go stringy and dry even in liquid.
3. Lift the meat out with a slotted spoon and place it on a cutting board. Let it cool for 10 minutes, until you can handle the pieces with your hands. ⏱ 10 min · passive
4. Shred the cooled meat into coarse pieces with two forks, so the shreds still hold together in bite-sized pieces. Strain the cooking broth through a fine sieve and reserve 2 dl — it binds the tinga at the end. ⏱ 10 min
5. Cut a small cross in the bottom of the tomatoes and blanch them in boiling water until the skin curls up at the edges of the cross. Peel off the skin and roughly chop the tomatoes so distinct pieces remain — the tinga should be rustic and clingy, not a smooth sauce. ⏱ 10 min
6. Fry the chorizo in a large, heavy pot over medium heat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Let it cook for 6-8 minutes, until the fat has rendered out clear and deep red, and the edges are crisp.
   Chef's tip Medium heat and patience: the fat needs time to melt out and carry the chile and annatto colour with it, which is the red frying medium the onions and tomatoes are built on. Rush it on high and the meat scorches before the fat is released.
7. Add the onion wedges and sauté them in the chorizo fat for 8 minutes, until they're soft and golden at the edges. Stir in the finely chopped garlic in the last minute, so it doesn't scorch and turn bitter.
8. Add the peeled, chopped tomatoes along with the chipotles, adobo sauce, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves. Let it reduce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until the sauce is deep red and thick enough that a spoon leaves a trail across the bottom. ⏱ 15 min
   Chef's tip Watch for the colour shifting from bright to brick red and the fat separating out at the edges of the pan — that's the sign the tomato water has gone and the flavour has concentrated. Stop short and the tinga stays thin and sour.
9. Fold the shredded meat into the sauce along with the 2 dl of strained cooking broth. Let the tinga simmer for 15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the sauce clings to the shreds without pooling at the bottom. Fish out the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper at the end, since both the chorizo and the queso fresco will salt the dish. ⏱ 15 min
   Chef's tip The cooking broth has pulled gelatin out of the shoulder, and that's what makes the sauce cling glossily around the shreds instead of sliding off. If there's still liquid in the bottom when you drag the spoon through, give it a couple more minutes.
10. Heat the sunflower oil in a deep skillet until the edge of a tortilla sizzles vigorously the instant it touches the oil. Fry the corn tortillas two at a time, turning them as they cook, until the fierce bubbling around the edges dies down and they're golden and crisp all the way through — stiff enough to snap rather than bend. Let the tostadas drain on paper towels and sprinkle a pinch of salt over them while they're still warm. ⏱ 10 min
    Chef's tip The oil should sit around 180 °C. Any cooler and the tortilla drinks up fat and turns leathery and heavy; any hotter and they darken on the outside while staying soft in the middle.
11. Set the pot of hot tinga in the middle of the table and place bowls of the thinly shredded romaine, the crema, the crumbled queso fresco, and the avocado slices alongside. Each guest builds their own tostadas: first a layer of lettuce on the crispy tostada, then a generous spoonful of tinga, and finally crema, queso fresco, and avocado. Eat them with your hands right away, since the tostada softens under the hot tinga.
    Chef's tip The lettuce layer isn't just garnish — it sits between the crisp tostada and the wet tinga and buys a few minutes before the base goes soft. Assemble one at a time rather than plating them all up front.