Tacos de chilorio
Chilorio is a Sinaloa specialty of pork cooked until it shreds and then fried in a sauce of dried chiles, garlic, spices and vinegar, eaten above all in tacos and burritos. The town of Mocorito is credited as its birthplace.
Overview
Larousse Cocina calls chilorio perhaps the most famous dish of Sinaloa and lists Mocorito, Guamúchil and Culiacán among the towns where it is traditional. Regional media credit Mocorito, a town founded as a mission in 1594, with creating the dish in the form known today, and the town promotes itself as the land of chilorio, with a chilorio factory among its attractions. The name is generally explained as deriving from chile, the defining ingredient, although the finished dish is mild rather than spicy.
Posta describes Mocorito, a designated Pueblo Mágico, as the place where chilorio as it is known today was born, and recommends trying a taco of it there. Local attractions tied to the dish include a chilorio factory open to visitors and a tourist ride named the Chilorio Express. Luz Noticias, which calls chilorio the town's culinary jewel, notes that the dish has gained recognition both inside and outside Mexico and describes it as shredded pork seasoned with pasilla chile and local spices.
Preparation
Pork is cooked until very tender and then shredded. It is fried in its own fat with a sauce of soaked dried chiles, usually red chiles or pasilla, blended with garlic, oregano, cumin, black pepper and vinegar, and cooked until the meat absorbs the sauce and turns dark red. Chilorio is made at home, bought by weight at markets such as Culiacán's, and also sold in cans across Mexico. Larousse notes that similar pork preparations in other parts of the country go by the name adobo de cerdo.
Serving
Chilorio is eaten mostly as a taco filling on corn tortillas, frequently with refried beans and onions pickled in lime juice. It also fills burritas and chivichangas and can be scrambled with eggs for breakfast. Taken together, these uses make chilorio an all-day food: tacos at midday, burritas to carry, and eggs with chilorio at breakfast.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5 cm chunks
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 ancho chiles and 2 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp lard (if needed)
- 20 corn or flour tortillas
- Refried beans and red onion pickled in lime to serve
Steps
- Put the pork in a heavy pot with the salt and water just to cover. Simmer, uncovered, about 1 1/2 hours, until the water evaporates, the meat is tender and it begins to fry in its own fat.
- Meanwhile, soak the chiles in hot water for 20 minutes. Blend them with the garlic, vinegar, oregano, cumin, pepper and 1/2 cup of soaking water until smooth.
- Remove the pork and shred it with two forks. Return it to the pot, adding lard if there is little fat.
- Fry the meat for 5 minutes, then add the chile sauce and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce is absorbed and the meat is glossy and dark.
- Adjust the salt and serve in warm tortillas with beans and pickled onion.
Chilorio keeps for about a week in the refrigerator and improves after a day.
Where to try it
- La Tonina, Mexico City
Reviews
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See also
References
- "Chilorio". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "El pueblo mágico de Sinaloa donde nació el chilorio y puedes probar el original". Posta. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "¿De dónde es el platillo sinaloense catalogado como uno de los más ricos del mundo?". Luz Noticias. Retrieved 2026-10-10.