Chili Verde
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Chili Verde

6 hrs
Serves 9
porkMexicanstew

Pork shoulder dredged in flour, fried in lard, then slow-simmered for 3–4 hours in a from-scratch green chili sauce built from fire-roasted poblanos, Anaheims, jalapeño, and tomatillos.

The Story

Chili verde is a project, and it's worth every step. The sauce starts on the grill — poblanos, Anaheims, a jalapeño, and tomatillos all go over direct heat until they're charred and blistered, then straight into a paper bag to steam for an hour. That steam is what loosens the skins so they peel off clean. The peeled, de-seeded chilies and tomatillos go into a blender with chicken broth, brown sugar, cilantro, and garlic and get processed until smooth. Meanwhile the pork shoulder gets cut into 1–2 inch chunks, trimmed of excess fat, dredged in flour, and fried in batches in 375°F lard until cooked through — about 4–5 minutes per batch, don't crowd the pan. The lard gets drained, the pork goes back in with the chili verde sauce, enough chicken broth to just cover the meat, chopped onion, and cumin. Bring it to a boil, drop it to a simmer, and cook for 3–4 hours. Taste the sauce every 30 minutes and adjust with cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper as it develops. Serve with refried beans and tortillas. Pepper jack or Monterey Jack, cilantro, onions, and sour cream on the side.

Equipment

  • Gas or charcoal grill
  • Dutch oven
  • Blender
  • Paper bag (for steaming chilies)
  • Instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

  • 5 lbspork shoulder / Boston butt, cut into 1–2" chunks, excess fat trimmed
  • 1 cupall-purpose flour (for dredging)
  • 2 cupslard (for frying)
  • 2poblano chilies
  • 4Anaheim or Fresno chilies
  • 1jalapeño chili
  • 10tomatillos, husks removed
  • 1/2 cup + 3 cupschicken broth (1/2 cup for sauce, up to 3 cups for braising)
  • 1 tbspbrown sugar
  • 1 bunchcilantro tops
  • 5 clovesgarlic
  • 1 mediumonion, chopped
  • 1 tbspcumin (plus more to taste)
  • to tastegarlic powder, salt, and black pepper

Pudgy's Notes

The paper bag steam step is not optional — that hour in the bag is what makes the skins slip off the chilies cleanly. Rushing it means fighting the skins and leaving behind charred bits that turn the sauce bitter. Fry the pork in batches and don't crowd the pan; crowding drops the oil temperature and you get steamed pork instead of a proper crust. The flour dredge thickens the sauce as it braises — don't skip it. Taste the sauce every 30 minutes during the simmer and season as it develops; the flavor changes significantly over the cook time. The longer it simmers the better it gets — 4 hours is better than 3.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Cut the pork shoulder into 1–2" chunks and trim off excess fat, about 30 minutes.

  2. 2

    Dredge the pork pieces in flour and shake off the excess, about 10 minutes.

  3. 3

    Grill the poblanos, Anaheims, and jalapeño over direct heat until greatly charred on the outside, about 40 minutes.

  4. 4

    Grill the tomatillos until slightly charred on the outside, about 15 minutes.

  5. 5

    Place the charred chilies and tomatillos in a paper bag and seal. Let steam and rest for 1 hour.

  6. 6

    De-seed and peel the skin from the roasted chilies. Place into a blender, about 10 minutes.

  7. 7

    Remove the stems from the tomatillos and add to the blender, about 5 minutes.

  8. 8

    Add 1/2 cup chicken broth, brown sugar, cilantro tops, and garlic to the blender. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes.

  9. 9

    Heat lard in a Dutch oven to 375°F. Working in batches, fry the dredged pork pieces until cooked through, about 4–5 minutes per batch. Don't crowd the pan. Total frying time about 20 minutes.

  10. 10

    Drain the oil from the pan (or transfer pork to a separate pan). Add the cooked pork and the chili verde sauce, about 5 minutes.

  11. 11

    Add enough chicken broth to just cover the meat. Add the chopped onion and 1 tbsp cumin. Stir to combine.

  12. 12

    Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 3–4 hours, or until the pork is tender.

  13. 13

    Taste the sauce every 30 minutes and adjust with cumin, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper as needed.

  14. 14

    Serve with refried beans and tortillas. Optional toppings: pepper jack or Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, onions, sour cream.

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