It was definitely time.

A day of rain that eventually turned to snow later in the evening (but not a ton here in the city). Dark, dreary and a change from two weeks of really nice and warm non-winter weather.

I put the half-defrosted 2 1/2 pounds of pork loin (boneless) in the slow cooker. Salted the meat lightly and then splashed it with olive oil. Some sugar fell in next. My jar of garlic chunks had molded over in the fridge, so I garlic powdered it. Half a chopped red onion went in next. Then two tubs of hot Bueno red chili, still somewhat sludgy from their defrosting, was poured over the meat.

I put the cover on the slow cooker, but did not turn it on. A few hours let the red chili slowly cover the meat. Around ten at night I switched the slow cooker to "Keep Warm," and left it alone.

After midnight, bottle of wine finished, I glanced inside and kept it at the same setting. It would continue to warm through the night.

Around seven in the morning, I got up to visit the bathroom and smelled something. Oh yeah, I was cooking.

I peered inside and turned the meat over inside the sauce. It was still in one piece, but mostly cooked by this time.

Snow was coming down outside, but not much of it. I had the day off, so I went back to bed.

Sometime after nine, I got up and made coffee.

While the coffee dripped, I added bay leaves and half a lemon (squeezed out and then the dropped into the sauce). Everything was stirred and the heat went up to "Low."

After a few hours, I was able to make holes in the meat with my wooden spoon. Before I left for my shopping excursion, I pushed it in half, length-wise.

My journeys yielded (among other things) honey and tortillas from the Frontier (the best fresh tortillas in the city). I added honey, squeezed the other half of lemon, dropped it in and fished out the first half. I pulled a few of the bay leaves as well. Broke up the meat some more (push and twist) with the wooden spoon. Some red sauce got on my fingers, so I tasted it.

It was hot. Really freakin' hot.

As I drove on my last trip of the day (delivering a PA system to an Old Bean), I wondered if this attempt at Carne Adovada was creating something completely inedible.

I put some more honey in when I got back. And garlic powder. And then a little more honey.

Dipped a tortilla strip in the sauce. Still damn hot. But the meat was breaking up nicely like it was supposed to.

Over the next few hours I would fish out the second lemon half and the rest of the bay leaves. Grab bits of saturated meat and taste. Stir and twist and taste.

It was still hot, but character was developing. First bite of meat with tortilla was tender and tasty. Then, as it slid down the throat, heat followed. Afterburn, but not heartburn. It was getting close.

By this time I was tempering the heated tastings with beer (which worked well).

At seven, when the Lobos began what would be a stomping against Longwood (?), the Carne Adovada was fully formed and delicious. My brother and sister-in-law confirmed this (somewhat biased) opinion.

Success and burning lips! I can still cook up that New Mexican-style barbecue.

Matt Worley got up early this morning to accommodate the carne's quick trip through his digestive system.