Name: My Family's Mole Poblano
Total time: 3 h
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 155 g Lard, divided; 275 g Mulato chile, seeded, stemmed, and seeds reserved; 180 g Ancho chile, seeded, stemmed, and seeds reserved; 150 g Pasilla chile, seeded, stemmed, and seeds reserved; 4,550 g Water, boiling; 25 g Reserved chile seeds; 130 g Water, ice cold; 140 g Lard; 170 g Sesame seeds, raw; 120 g Pumpkin seeds, raw; 95 g Baguette, sliced; 70 g Dried handmade tortillas; 60 g Almonds, raw, unskinned; 60 g Dark raisins; 15 g Mexican cinnamon, whole; 5 g Black peppercorns, whole; 1 g Coriander seeds, whole; 1 g Anise seeds, whole; 14 Cloves, whole; 250 g Tomatillos, whole, dry roasted until tender; 80 g Garlic, whole cloves, in paper, dry roasted in cast iron until tender, then peeled; 1,500 g Reserved chile steeping liquid; 370 g Lard; 435 g Mexican chocolate; 80 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 40 g Sugar; 8 Chicken drumsticks, bone-in, skin-on; 8 Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on; Diamond Crystal kosher salt, for dry brining

Method

10 steps. Tap one to mark it done.

Warm 130g of the lard in a suitable pan using medium-high heat to prep the chiles. Fry the chiles in batches according to variety over medium heat, cooking for approximately 1 minute per side until they become aromatic and slightly toasted. Take them off the heat once they develop a tobacco-like color.
Put the toasted chiles together in a large heat-safe vessel and cover them with the boiling water. Place a weight on top of the peppers to ensure they stay underwater. Let them soak for a minimum of 30 minutes until they are highly tender. Drain the chiles, keeping the soaking liquid aside to use for blending.
Melt the leftover 25g of lard in a smaller pan over medium-high heat, then fry the 25g of saved chile seeds until they turn golden brown. Pour them through a strainer to remove the lard, transfer them to a bowl, and submerge them in the ice cold water. Let them soak for 5 minutes before draining, then combine them with the soaked peppers.
Blend the chiles and seeds in portions with 3,500g of the kept soaking water until completely smooth. Force this mixture through a fine sieve and set it aside.
Prepare the seeds and spices by warming 140g of lard in a suitable pot over medium heat. Cook the sesame seeds in batches until golden, then pour the mixture through a sieve into a metal bowl to collect the seeds. Pour the fat back into the pot and use the same fry-and-strain method for the pumpkin seeds, almonds, raisins, bread, and tortillas separately, cooking each until golden brown. Throw away the cooking fat when finished.
Place the fried seeds, nuts, raisins, bread, tortillas, cinnamon, black peppercorns, coriander, anise, cloves, roasted tomatillos, peeled garlic, and 1,500g of the saved soaking liquid into a powerful blender. Process on high speed until thoroughly smooth, then press through a sieve and set aside.
Heat 370g of lard in an especially large pot over medium heat until extremely hot, then gently add the blended chile mixture. Adjust the temperature to medium-high heat to bring it to a simmer, cooking for roughly 10 minutes while constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a metal spoon.
Stir the seed and spice mixture into the pot, continuing to cook for an additional 10 minutes while stirring without stopping.
Incorporate the Mexican chocolate, salt, and sugar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring often, until the color of the mole deepens. Taste the sauce and adjust the flavor with additional salt or sugar if necessary.
Apply a generous amount of kosher salt to the chicken drumsticks and thighs, letting them dry brine. Submerge the chicken portions in the gently simmering mole and cook for approximately an hour, until the meat is tender and nearly separating from the bone. Thin or season the mole as desired with water, stock, salt, or sugar, then serve alongside rice and tortillas.