Traditional

Pierna Enchilada

Name: Pierna Enchilada
Prep time: 1 h 10 min
Cook time: 2 h 10 min
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: 12 tacos
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 5 Guajillo chiles, seeded; 2 Ancho chiles, seeded; 2 Chiles de árbol; 5 Garlic cloves; 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar; 1/2 cup Orange juice; 1/2 tsp each Cumin, cloves & Mexican oregano; 1 tbsp Kosher salt; 3.5 lb Boneless pork leg (pierna); 2 tbsp Pork lard or oil; 12 Corn tortillas; 1 White onion, diced; 1 bunch Cilantro, chopped; 3 Limes, in wedges

Guerrero-style pork leg slathered in a guajillo-ancho adobo sharpened with chile de árbol and vinegar, then slow-roasted until burnished outside and juicy within. Sliced thin and chopped, it makes a taco with real backbone.

Time: 3 hr 20 min
Heat
Yield: 12 tacos
Region: Guerrero

Ingredients

Adobo

Pork & to build

Per-100g nutrition (8 ingredients verified)

Ingredient	kcal	Protein	Fat	Carbs
Garlic cloves	100	0 g	0 g	20 g
Apple cider vinegar	33	0 g	0 g	0 g
Orange juice	46	0.8 g	0 g	10.8 g
Kosher salt	0	0 g	0 g	0 g
Pork lard or oil	900	0 g	100 g	0 g
Corn tortillas	188	3.1 g	1.6 g	40.6 g
White onion, diced	29	1.2 g	0 g	7.1 g
Cilantro, chopped	23	2.1 g	0.5 g	3.7 g

Values are per 100 g of the listed ingredient. Nutrition data: USDA FoodData Central (snapshot 2026-09-11). Ingredients without a verified match are omitted.

Method

Toast the guajillos, anchos, and árbol chiles on a dry comal until fragrant, then soak in hot water until soft.
Blend the soaked chiles with garlic, vinegar, orange juice, cumin, cloves, oregano, and salt into a thick adobo.
Score the pierna deeply all over, slather it inside every cut with the adobo, and let it sit at room temperature to soak in the marinade.
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Set the pork in a roasting pan with the lard, cover tightly with foil, and roast at 325°F until tender, about 2 hours.
Uncover, baste with the pan juices, and roast until the adobo crust turns deep mahogany, about 25 minutes.
Rest the pierna 15 minutes, then slice thin and chop, moistening the meat with the pan drippings.
Warm the tortillas on a comal and build each taco with pierna enchilada, onion, cilantro, and lime.