Name: Silky Pork and Cumin Stew
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 small head of red cabbage, very thinly sliced; 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar; 1 tsp. sugar; Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper; 2 ripe avocados, unpeeled, halved, pits removed; 1/2 lime; Kosher salt; Chili powder (for serving); 1 (5-lb.) piece skinless, bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt), patted dry; Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper; 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 3 medium onions, cut into 1"-thick wedges; 2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise; 1/2 cup fine-grind cornmeal; 4 dried chiles de árbol; 2 tsp. cumin seeds; 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar; Crushed corn nuts, chicharrones, hot sauce, and/or sour cream (for serving; optional)

Stew in teal stone dinner bowl on aggregate counter surface topped with charred avocado pickled purple cabbage sour...

Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

You know what takes a lot of time? Standing over the stove and browning every cube of stew meat on all sides and in batches. That’s why we brown the pork shoulder whole, which develops a ton of flavor with a fraction of the time and effort. You can let the stew sit for a full 12 hours so all the flavors have a chance to really meld together, but this step is totally optional. Serve the stew as the centerpiece surrounded by fixings that guests can pick and choose to build their own bowls.

Recipe notes

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