This is pure awesomeness Chili Verde which I’ve experimented with over time and have come up with something that the family loves. It’s a great comfort food that is a delicious savory dish.
The day after I made this last time, my wife made me a breakfast of hashbrowns, bacon, and fried eggs. I heated some of this Chili Verde up and put it on top of that breakfast and I loved it more than the dinner the night before. Eating this for breakfast will now be a ritual each and every time I cook it.
This is a bit more work than most chilis. It can be simplified if needed by not roasting anything and just cooking all the chilis and tomatillos with the onions and garlic. Then browning the pork without the sear.
I’ve added a few comments on the “heat” of the chili. It’s a fact that when it comes to chilis you never know what you are going to get. There is always the chance you are going to get some hot Anaheims. I haven’t see it with Poblanos nor Sweet Yellow Chilis. I’ve added comments below on how to increase or decrease the heat.
I use whatever chilis I can find at the local grocery or farm stand. They all work. But I do think highly of the blistering of the peppers and the removal of the skin, of which Anaheims are excellent for this purpose as the skin comes off easily.
And finally, Escarole is a fantastic adder to this dish. I know it’s unique but it’s also great!
Ingredients:
5 lbs Pork Shoulder
4 Yellow or 2 Large Sweet Onions, chopped
2-3 Anaheim Chilis (depending on size)
2-3 Poblano Chilis (depending on size)
2-3 Sweet Yellow Chilis, or substitute another Chili if not available
6 Tablespoons Minced Garlic (or more. You can never have enough garlic!)
1 lb Tomatillos, husk removed
½ Cup White Wine (or Red Wine)
¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1-1.5 Tablespoons Oregano as you prefer
1-1.5 Tablespoons Cumin as you prefer
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
1 Bunch Escarole
Optional Cayenne Pepper
Optional Corn
Olive Oil
Step 1:
Lightly trim the pork shoulder of large portions of fat.
Step 2:
On the BBQ grill, sear the pork shoulder, the chilis, and the tomatillos – all sides.
Step 3:
Remove the skin from the blistered chilis. It will be easy on the Anaheims and worth it. It’s not so easy on the others, and questionable whether worth it but I do it. Cut in half, remove seeds. Place chili’s and tomatillos in a blender after allowing them to lose some of their temperature and lightly blend in blender.
Step 4:
Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a heavy pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium to medium high heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until they are translucent (do not let the garlic overcook or turn brown/burn/crispy). Add the chilis to the pot and saute for a few minutes longer. Remove from pot and set aside. When only warm, lightly blend in a blender.
Step 5:
Cut the pork shoulder into 1 inch cubes, roughly. Throw pork into pot and over medium high heat brown the pork. This should take about 5 minutes max. Add the chili/onion/garlic mixture and the tomatilos to the pot. Add the white wine and vinegar and deglaze. Let reduce for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Step 6:
Allow the chili verde to simmer for a minimum of one hour, and up to 3 hours. Your choice to experiment with. At some point over the course of that time taste test the heat of the mixture. If it’s not the level of heat you desire add cayenne pepper to increase. If it’s too hot, adding some additional wine and/or a small amount of vinegar will help. I’ve also added cheddar cheese at times to help mellow it.
Step 7:
Clean and cut the escarole into a few inch pieces, including stems
Step 8:
10-15 minutes before you are ready to eat, add the escarole to the chili verde and simmer. Optionally add corn (can or frozen are fine – but if frozen, rinse in a colander and let thaw a bit). I recommend corn but especially if you have an overly hot chili verde. It will tame it a bit further.
Step 9:
Serve. Adding shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream (or plain yogurt) are very good additions.
One Response
Brian…This recipe is a “keeper”! I have been making verde for years, always grilling the pork and vegetables. The addition of the escarole is fantastic! I made this for the family and heard “best ever Dad”. My addition to your recipe was, as the verde simmered down, I added a bottle of IPA.
Thanks and Regards,
Rocco