Chile Verde with Pork
Pork shoulder braised for hours in a chunky purée of charred poblanos, tomatillos, garlic and jalapeño until it falls apart.
Green chili was on the menu from the start. When Stephen Crane described the San Antonio plaza stands in 1895, his list ran "chili con carne, tamales, enchiladas, chili verde, frijoles" (quoted by Frank W. Jennings). Today the International Chili Society judges Chili Verde as its own category: any meat cooked with green chili peppers and spices, with no beans. J. Kenji López-Alt describes the most basic New Mexico version as rich pork simmered with roasted Hatch chiles, onion, garlic and salt; living far from Hatch, he builds his from poblano, cubanelle and jalapeño and thickens it with tomatillos.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Pork shoulder braised for hours in a chunky purée of charred poblanos, tomatillos, garlic and jalapeño until it falls apart.
🇺🇸 The original
The Texas bowl of red is chunks of beef simmered with dried chiles and spices until tender. No beans, and in the strict version no tomatoes. See the Texas Bowl of Red (San Antonio Chili con Carne) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Tomatillos thicken it
Kenji explains that tomatillos are high in pectin, so the sauce thickens on its own without flour.
Oven, lid ajar
The oven gives steadier heat than a burner, so the stew is less likely to scorch, and leaving the lid slightly open keeps the temperature from climbing and drying out the pork (Serious Eats).
Step by step
- Step 1
Toss the pork with 2 1/2 tsp of the salt and let it sit up to 1 hour while you make the purée (refrigerate it if your kitchen is warm).
- Step 2
Char the poblanos and cubanelles directly over a gas flame, turning, about 10 minutes, until blackened all over (or under the broiler). Cover them in a bowl 5 minutes, then peel under cool running water, wearing gloves. Seed, chop roughly and put them in a food processor.
- Step 3
Heat the broiler. Toss the tomatillos, garlic and jalapeño with 1/2 tbsp oil and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt on a foil-lined sheet and broil 10 minutes, turning once, until charred and soft. Add them and their juices to the processor with half the cilantro and pulse 8 to 10 times into a rough purée. Season with pepper.
- Step 4
Heat the oven to 275°F. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a Dutch oven over high heat until smoking. Brown the pork in two batches, about 5 minutes each, then return it all, add the onion and cook 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin for 1 minute.
- Step 5
Add the broth and the purée and bring to a boil. Cover with the lid slightly ajar, move to the oven and braise 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the pork shreds easily with a fork.
- Step 6
Skim off excess fat, adjust the thickness by simmering on the stove or adding water, and stir in the remaining cilantro. Season and serve with warm tortillas and the toppings.
Chile Verde with Pork
Serves 4 (about 1 1/2 cups each) · about 6 cups · 4 hr 20 min total
Pork
- 1 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, divided
Green chile purée
- 2 large poblano peppers
- 2 cubanelle peppers (or Anaheims, or Hatch chiles if you can get them)
- 1 lb tomatillos (about 7 medium), husks removed, rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 jalapeño, stemmed and halved lengthwise
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, divided
- Black pepper
Braise
- 1 small onion, finely diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 cups chicken broth
To serve
- Warm corn tortillas, diced onion, sour cream, crumbled cheese and lime wedges
Method
- Toss the pork with 2 1/2 tsp of the salt and let it sit up to 1 hour while you make the purée (refrigerate it if your kitchen is warm).
- Char the poblanos and cubanelles directly over a gas flame, turning, about 10 minutes, until blackened all over (or under the broiler). Cover them in a bowl 5 minutes, then peel under cool running water, wearing gloves. Seed, chop roughly and put them in a food processor.
- Heat the broiler. Toss the tomatillos, garlic and jalapeño with 1/2 tbsp oil and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt on a foil-lined sheet and broil 10 minutes, turning once, until charred and soft. Add them and their juices to the processor with half the cilantro and pulse 8 to 10 times into a rough purée. Season with pepper.
- Heat the oven to 275°F. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a Dutch oven over high heat until smoking. Brown the pork in two batches, about 5 minutes each, then return it all, add the onion and cook 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin for 1 minute.
- Add the broth and the purée and bring to a boil. Cover with the lid slightly ajar, move to the oven and braise 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the pork shreds easily with a fork.
- Skim off excess fat, adjust the thickness by simmering on the stove or adding water, and stir in the remaining cilantro. Season and serve with warm tortillas and the toppings.
Adapted from Serious Eats, "Chile Verde With Pork" by J. Kenji López-Alt (2011), halved from 10 servings to 4 generous bowls. The braise time for the half batch is our estimate (Kenji's full batch takes about 3 hours). His pressure-cooker version is here if you want it faster. Serious Eats. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (4)
Tips
- No gas burner? Broil the poblanos and cubanelles close to the element, turning, until black all over.
- Kenji's notes say frozen or jarred roasted green chiles can replace the fresh ones, by weight.
- Pork shoulder (Boston butt) has the fat this needs; lean loin will turn dry.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- If it doesn't have Hatch chiles, it isn't chile verde. Disputed: Kenji describes New Mexico purists who say so, then uses poblano, cubanelle and jalapeño; the ICS only asks for "green chili peppers".
- Tomatillos. Disputed: Kenji says the most basic New Mexico version is chiles, onions, garlic and salt with "little else"; Wikipedia's chili con carne article describes chile verde with tomatillos.
- Pork. Documented as usual (Kenji; Wikipedia), but the ICS Chili Verde category allows any meat.
- No beans. Documented for competition (ICS Chili Verde rules).
- Chili verde was sold on San Antonio's plazas. Documented in Crane's 1895 list (Jennings).
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