This pork with Red Chili Sauce is my favorite filling for tamales, burritos, tacos and more. It's made with a pork roast, spices, and a homemade red chili sauce.

While living in Mexico with my husband as a young married couple, I had that opportunity to learn to make some authentic Mexican dishes including Mexican rice, Pork Chile Verde, and homemade tamales! I have a seriously love for GOOD Mexican food!

Shredded pork with red chili sauce in a slow cooker.

My experiences with the people, food, and culture of Puebla, Mexico instilled in me a deep love of all things Mexican and you'll notice that the Mexican cuisine on my site gets more love and attention than all of the other types of cuisine!

Don't miss my full tutorial and step by step tips for how to use this pork and make homemade tamales!

For the Pork:

  • Add pork, onion, bay leaf, garlic, oregano, cumin and salt and pepper to slow cooker.  Cover the pork with water and cook on LOW for 8 hours or overnight.
  • Drain the pork broth into a container and shred the cooked pork.

Pork roast in a slow cooker with spices, onion and a bay leaf.

For the Mexican red chili sauce:

  • Use rubber gloves to remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles while rinsing them under cold water. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of reserved broth. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then remove from heat.

A bag of California dried chilies next to a saucepan with the chilies soaking in water.

  • Transfer the chiles and broth to a blender. Add oregano, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  • In the same saucepan you used to cook the chiles, add oil and cook over medium heat. Add flour and salt and stir for 1 minute. Strain the chili sauce from the blender and add it to the saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

A blender with red chiles and spices, and then the blended red chili sauce added to a saucepan.

  • Add red chili sauce to the meat, and stir to combine.

Red chili sauce poured over shredded pork in a slow cooker.

Serve with:

  • Homemade Tamales
  • Inside a burrito
  • As a taco
  • On a salad

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Recipe

Shredded pork with red chili sauce in a slow cooker.
Prep 30 minutes
Cook 8 hours
Total 8 hours 30 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the pork:

For the Red Chili Sauce:

Instructions
 

For the pork:

  • Add pork, onion, bay leaf, garlic, oregano, cumin and salt and pepper to slow cooker.  Cover the pork with water and cook on LOW for 8 hours or overnight.
  • Drain the pork, reserving the broth. Shred the meat.

For the Red Chili Sauce:

  • Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles while rinsing them under cold water. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of broth from the cooked pork. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then remove from heat. 
  • Transfer the chiles and broth to a blender. Add oregano, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  • In the same saucepan you used to cook the chiles, add oil and cook over medium heat. Add flour and salt and stir for 1 minute.
  • Strain the chili sauce from the blender and add it to the saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, then add the sauce to the shredded pork.

Nutrition

Calories: 57kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 7gFat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 168mgPotassium: 145mgVitamin A: 80IUVitamin C: 0.7mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.4mg

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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5 from 380 votes (345 ratings without comment)
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Cynthia Sineni
11 months ago

5 stars
The pork turned out delicious. An excellent filling for tamales.

Masha
1 day ago

5 stars
Easy-to-follow recipe, very forgiving. Flavor is sensational. I had been planning to add in extra flavorings like lime juice or cayenne, but this is absolutely perfect as-is. This will become a new staple in my kitchen. Thank you so much for this!

I don’t have a blender, but chopping the chili peppers works just fine.

Nakita
2 months ago

How spicy is the red chili sauce?
I’m great with spice, but I plan to make tamales for a work potluck and I’m not sure how others’ tolerances may be.

Admin
2 months ago
Reply to  Nakita

It’s pretty mild overall! California chiles are known for their deep flavor, not heat.
-Stacy

Cherri
2 months ago

5 stars
Hello, cherri Jackson here. I’m making the tamales but don’t see recipe for masa

Admin
2 months ago
Reply to  Cherri
mikkikrupowski@gmail.com
13 days ago
Reply to  Stacy Popham

5 stars
Wow

nancyb00us@gmail.com
2 months ago

5 stars
Super delicious. Smile
Question – I made too much sauce. How should I store it ?

Admin
2 months ago

You can store the extra red chili sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you won’t use it that soon, it also freezes really well—just pour into a freezer-safe jar or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge when you’re ready to use it again!
-Stacy

Kelly
1 month ago
Reply to  Stacy Popham

5 stars
I stored my extra sauce in the fridge overnight and when I went to use it the next day it was too thick to pour out of the jar. How do you recommend reheating it? My family LOVED the sauce and want to use it on everything!

Admin
1 month ago
Reply to  Kelly

Reheat in pot on the stove with medium low heat. You can add a little broth to thin it as needed. So glad you loved it.

Kelly
1 month ago
Reply to  Stacy Popham

thank you!

Vanessa
6 months ago

Can I use pressure cooker to cook meat? I’m making Tamales today help please

Masha
1 day ago
Reply to  Vanessa

5 stars
Hi there! Just wanted to chime in to say that I’ve used a pressure cooker to make meats like barbacoa for years, and it’s always worked perfectly. The only real advantage I’ve found to using a slow cooker is that it’s great for cooking dinner in advance. You can set it in the morning and dinner will be ready when you get home at the end of the day. Pressure cooker is definitely faster and works just as well though!

SHEILA
6 months ago

Hi! Planning a big tamale Christmas Eve. Can you help me figure out how many lbs of pork and masa preparada would I need for around 100 tamales? Thanks!

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