Step 1

1 The day before you plan to cook, season the pork generously with salt

Step 2

2 Cover and refrigerate

Step 3

3 When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Step 4

4 Remove any roots from the head of garlic, then slice it in half crosswise

Step 5

5 (Don’t worry about adding the skins to the braise – they’ll get strained out at the end

Step 6

6 If you don’t trust me, go ahead and peel the whole head of garlic – I’m just trying to save you some time and effort

Step 7

7 )

Step 8

8 Set a large, ovenproof Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat

Step 9

9 When it’s warm, add 1 tablespoon of oil

Step 10

10 When the oil shimmers, place the pork in the pot

Step 11

11 Brown it evenly on all sides, about 6 minutes per side

Step 12

12 When the meat is brown, remove it and set it aside

Step 13

13 Carefully tip out as much of the fat from the pot as you can, then return it to the stove

Step 14

14 Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of oil

Step 15

15 Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions are tender and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes

Step 16

16 Add the tomatoes and juice, cumin, bay leaves, dried chiles and smoked paprika or peppers, if using, to the pot and stir

Step 17

17 Nestle the pork atop the aromatic base and add enough beer to come 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the meat

Step 18

18 Make sure the peppers and bay leaves are mostly immersed in the juices so that they do not burn

Step 19

19 Increase the heat and bring to a boil on the stove, then slip the pot, uncovered, into the oven

Step 20

20 After 30 minutes, check to make sure the liquid is just barely simmering

Step 21

21 About every 30 minutes, turn the pork over and check the level of the liquid

Step 22

22 Add more beer as needed to maintain the liquid at a depth of 1 1/2 inches

Step 23

23 Cook until the meat is tender and falls apart at the touch of a fork, 3 1/2 to 4 hours

Step 24

24 Remove the cooked pork from the oven and carefully remove it from the pan

Step 25

25 Discard the bay leaves, but don’t worry about fishing out the garlic since the sieve will catch the skins

Step 26

26 Using a food mill, blender or food processor, puree the aromatics and strain them through a sieve

Step 27

27 Discard the solids

Step 28

28 Skim the fat from the sauce and then taste, adjusting salt as needed

Step 29

29 (To more easily remove the fat, chill the sauce for a couple of hours and then skim off the fat

Step 30

30 )

Step 31

31 At this point, you can either shred the meat and combine it with the sauce to make pork tacos, or slice it and spoon the sauce over the pork to serve it as an entree

Step 32

32 Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with an acidic condiment such as Mexican cream or a simple squeeze of lime