Back then, Velia remembers, this dish was cooked over an open fire. Its defining ingredient is chile guajillo<\/a>, also called chile guaco in neighboring Guatemala<\/a>. This deep-red, dried pepper\u2019s flavor is strong but not too spicy. Guajillos score medium-low (2,500 to 5,000) on the Scoville scale, which rates chile heat. \u201dThe cumin and the garlic also give it a great flavor,\u201d says Velia. She buys the pork precut into small chunks, so that each piece is about 1 \u00bd inches long and has both rib meat and bone in each bite. \u201cIt\u2019s so good you want to gnaw on the bone,\u201d she grins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Serve this asado in a bowl with a spoon and hot tortillas, she says\u2014though many people just pick up the pork and eat it with their hands. If you can\u2019t find the pork pre-sliced at the store, buy the ribs whole. Separate them at home with a sharp knife and cook them the same way, adds Velia. You\u2019ll taste for yourself why this dish is wedding worthy when the meat starts to fall off the bone and soak in the guajillo and cumin salsa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As with so many dishes, the origin of its name is hard to pin down. Some credit Mexican Revolutionary War hero Pancho Villa. The tale goes that one day he and his men arrived at a town called Ejido de Morelos in Zacatecas after winning a battle. He asked the locals to prepare a pork stew with red chiles in honor of their victory. This asado was pulled together and served to the fighters, cementing its rep as a dish worthy of celebrations. (Didn’t see the part about a wedding, did you? Neither did we. Short answer: No one exactly knows why this dish is called asado de boda.) That said, the chile-rojo stew started showing up at country and small-town weddings, eventually making its way onto the menus of bodas and special gatherings in the big cities. It\u2019s still loved and served at weddings a century later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from the requisite guajillos and pork, asado de boda recipe ingredients vary across Mexico: from region to region and family to family. Different cuts of pork are used. Some versions call for a mix of red chiles, others include tomatillos<\/a> or different spices. Velia\u2019s family recipe stands out for its simplicity, short list of ingredients, and addictively authentic sabor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Velia typically serves this stew with a side of Mexican rice<\/a>, refried beans<\/a>, and homemade corn tortillas<\/a>. Consider making asado de boda for your next special gathering, says Velia. Your familia might even start begging you to make it once or twice a month\u2014just like hers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Is It Called Wedding Stew or Asado de Boda?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ready to Make Velia\u2019s Red Chile Pork Stew or Asado de Boda? <\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Velia\u2019s](\"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Velia-red-chile-pork-stew-asado-de-boda-2-e1653335425562-800x530.jpg\")
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