Southwestern Pork and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small onion, peeled and quartered (about 7 ounces)
• 1 pickled jalapeño pepper, stemmed
• Cooking spray
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed
• 1 (12-ounce) dark Mexican beer (such as Dos Equis Ambar)
• 1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick
• 3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1 pound)
• Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation

1. Place first 6 ingredients in a food processor; process 1 minute or until a thick paste forms.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove pork from pan.
3. Add chile mixture to pan; cook 2 minutes or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Stir in beer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add pork and cinnamon; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until pork is tender.
4. Remove pork from pan; shred into large pieces with 2 forks. Stir shredded pork and sweet potato into pan; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Discard cinnamon stick. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.