Root Beer & Guava-Braised Pork

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds pork
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• half a can of chipotle peppers
• 2-3 serrano peppers, roasted, peeled
• 16 ounces. root beer
• 2 tablespoons guava jelly
• 1/8 cup ketchup
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 large onion, diced small
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano

Directions:

1) In a heavy pot (preferably cast iron), sweat down onions in a small amount of oil till slightly caramelized. Add garlic and chilis along with the tomato sauce and deglaze with the root beer. Bring to a simmer and add the rest of the ingredients.

2) Allow to cool then add pork and marinate overnight.

3) The next day remove pork. Sear on all sides while bringing the marinade to a simmer, which now doubles as your braising liquid.

4) Braise the pork until fork-tender at 325 degrees for 3-4 hours.

5) When ready to serve, shred pork and serve in flour tortillas crisped in pork fat with sliced scallions and a dollop of sour cream if you choose. (Serves 4)

Matthew Cosenzo’s passion for food and the outdoors developed while growing up in a small central New Jersey town. The search for a summer job landed him in a fly-fishing pro shop where he soon taught fly-tying to his customers. His passion for fly fishing and hunting drove his desire to use his creativity, which in turn drove his pursuit in the culinary arts and eventually landed him in the nation’s finest culinary school.

He was enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America (cia) in Hyde Park, N.Y. His education enabled him to travel and work in the culinary field in California and throughout New York. Graduating from the CIA with a bachelor’s degree in restaurant and hotel management, Matt combined his passions to create simple, elegant and approachable meals.

Matt is a regular contributor to Cooking Wild Magazine, a publication dedicated to cooking anything you can hunt, fish or forage, and Bear Hunters Online. He is an avid bowhunter and has developed a love for big-bore revolvers. He enjoys the challenge of getting close to game.