Chile Pork Sopes

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1 For the Pork, preheat oven to 325°F. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Mix 2 tablespoons of the New Mexico Chile, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and cumin in small bowl. Coat pork on all sides with seasoning mixture.
• 2 Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add pork; sear 2 to 3 minutes per side, until browned.
• 3 Place 2 large sheets of heavy-duty foil on a large shallow baking pan, overlapping to create 1 large sheet, and folding sides up slightly. Place onion and bay leaves in center of foil. Place pork on top. Pour stock around pork. Place another large sheet of foil over top; join top and bottom sheets and fold or crimp to seal, creating a large foil packet for the pork.
• 4 Bake 3 hours until pork is tender. Remove from oven. Carefully open foil. Transfer pork, onions and juices to large bowl. Discard bay leaves. Shred pork using 2 forks, discarding any fat. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Ground New Mexico Chile and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Keep warm.
• 5 For the Sopes, mix masa harina and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Stir in water until dough forms. Transfer to smooth surface. Knead until mixture comes together to form a soft, slightly moist ball, about 2 minutes.
• 6 Divide dough into 16 equal portions and roll each into a ball, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Keep masa balls covered with damp paper towel or plastic wrap while forming sopes to keep dough soft and moist.
• 7 To form sopes, place 1 masa ball in between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Press gently until dough forms 3 1/2-inch diameter circle. Repeat with remaining masa balls, placing sopes in single layer on flat surface; cover with damp paper towels until ready to cook.
• 8 Heat large skillet on medium heat. Working in batches, cook sopes about 1 minutes per side, just until lightly browned. Remove from skillet and allow to cool about 30 seconds. Pinch edges to form a wall around edge of sope. Repeat with remaining sopes.
• 9 Melt half of the lard in same skillet on medium heat. Place 4 sopes in skillet, cooking 2 to 3 minutes per side, until lightly browned and crisp. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining lard and sopes.
• 10 To assemble, fill each Sope with about 3 tablespoons of the shredded pork. Top with lettuce, radish, queso fresco and cilantro.