Mexican-style Braised Pork Shoulder Steaks

Serves 4

Such an easy maintenance dish. Easy prep. Once in the oven, you’re pretty much free to do anything for a few hours, and the smells coming from the oven are divine.

1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus 1 tsp

1/2 onion, cut into chunks

1/2 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

1/2 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 x 200g can sweetcorn kernels, drained

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tsp honey zest and juice of 1/2 lime

1 tbsp smoked paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 pork shoulder steaks, about 170g each

1–2 tsp chopped coriander, to garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas mark 4.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Now add the peppers and cook for another 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and sweetcorn, then turn the heat down to low and stir. Now add the rest of the ingredients, except the pork and coriander, along with 50ml of water. Give it a good stir, then keep over a low heat while you brown the pork.

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the pork steaks and cook on one side for around 3 minutes, then turn and repeat. Once you have a good colour on both sides, take them out and place in an ovenproof dish – mine was 30 x 15 x 6cm, but I think a 20 x 20 x 5cm would work as well. Now pour the veg sauce all over the pork, making sure you have some under the pork and all the pork is covered.

Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for around 2–21/4 hours. Halfway through, take it out of the oven and stir, making sure the pork is still covered in sauce. It’s done when the pork is almost falling apart and is melt-in-the-mouth. Garnish with the chopped coriander.

I serve mine with some simple boiled rice to soak up all the amazing sauce. Enjoy.