Pork Chili Verde
With the weather starting to get cold, you’ll really appreciate the smoky heat of this Mexican-style Pork Chili Verde. Fire-roasting the chilis and slow roasting the pork shoulder will fill your kitchen with the most tempting aromas.
Double the batch, portion it into freezer baggies and freeze it. Then pull out, heat and enjoy on those cold winter nights when you just want to relax by the fire eating a delicious meal.
Ingredients
· 4 pounds trimmed boneless pork shoulder, 1″ cubes
· ¼ cup all purpose flour
· 2 large yellow onions, sliced
· 4 large cloves garlic, minced
· 1 tablespoon sea salt
· Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
· 1 tablespoon ground cumin
· 10 large poblano peppers, fire roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
· 6 large jalapenos, fire roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
· 3 large yellow bell peppers, fire roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
· 6 large Anaheim or Banana peppers fire roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
· 2 quarts chicken stock or broth
· 3 pounds large fresh tomatillos, husks removed, fire roasted (canned are fine, too, if you can’t get fresh tomatillos)
· 2 large bunches cilantro, stems discarded, leaves chopped
· Juice of 3 large limes
· 1/2 pound lean smoky bacon, diced
Directions
Fire-roast the peppers and tomatillos. You can do this on the grill, over a gas burner, or under your broiler turned on high. The goal is to char the skin of the vegetable, bringing out its natural sweetness, concentrating the flavor, and adding a pleasing smoky note. Place the charred vegetables in a large heat proof bowl or pan and cover with foil. The heat from the vegetables will help the charred skin come off easily.
Next, trim off any excess fat from the pork and cut into 1” cubes. Liberally season the pork with salt and pepper and toss with flour to coat evenly. In a large (6 to 8 quart) stock pot, over high heat, brown the bacon reserving the bacon drippings.
Brown the seasoned pork in small batches, in the bacon drippings, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Remove the pork from the pot and pour off the fat drippings, leaving two tablespoons of fat. Caramelizing the meat to a rich golden-brown is a key flavor step!!
In the same pot, over a medium heat, add the sliced onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and sauté until transparent, scraping up any browned bits. Add the cumin, pork, and chicken stock, and cook simmering over medium-low heat for 1 hour.
Place half of the peppers, one bunch of cilantro, and half of the tomatillos in to a blender or the bowl of a food processor and pulse for a chunky puree. Add the puree to the pot with the pork and stir to combine, cooking on medium-low for an additional 30 minutes.
Roughly chop the remaining tomatillos, peppers, and cilantro. Add them to the pot, stir, and simmer for an additional 30 minutes, for a total cooking time of two hours. Add the lime juice, adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and serve accompanied with rice, beans, sour cream, and/or salsa fresca if you want to stay true to Mexican traditions. If not, it’s great on top of roasted potatoes or any grain.
Serves 8-10
