Green Chile Chili
There are a hundred ways to make chili, but this is one of my favorites. I could eat roasted Hatch chiles on anything—on burgers New Mexico-style, in salsa, and especially in chili alongside pork shoulder, poblanos and white beans. And yes, go through the extra steps of roasting the chiles yourself; they’re so much better than their canned counterpart.
Green Chile & Pork Chili
Ingredients
- 3 cups dried white navy beans, soaked overnight in 2 quarts water in the fridge.
- 2 pounds fresh pork shoulder, in roughly a ½-inch dice
- 2 slices smoked bacon, chopped
- 1 large onion, minced
- 2 fresh poblano peppers, diced
- 2 Serrano chiles, minced
- 2 cups of roasted cleaned and chopped Hatch or Anaheim chiles
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 1 pound peeled and chopped tomatillos
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 7 cups homemade chicken stock or broth
- 1 large bunch cilantro, minced well
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Instructions
Soak the beans overnight in 2 quarts water in the fridge.
Place the bacon in the bottom of a large heavy pot over medium heat and when lightly browned and rendered add the pork. Brown the pork. While the meat is browning, drain and rinse the white beans that have been soaking in water in the fridge. Reserve.
Add the onions, peppers, dried spices, chiles and garlic to the pot when meats are browned.
Stir and cook for 5 minutes, adding the tomatillos when onions are glassy.
Cook 5 minutes longer and add the beans.
Stir and let beans warm in pot for a few minutes. Then add stock.
Bring to a simmer and cook, lowering heat to maintain a simmer for 90 minutes stirring every so often. When beans and pork are tender, stir in the cilantro and lime juice, season with sea salt and serve.
NOTE: If your chili is too soupy, but your beans and pork are tender, you can thicken the chili with a slurry of cold stock and corn flour mixed together, 3 tablespoons of each. It adds a nice corn flavor as well. Just whisk in a tad at a time while the chili is simmering.
Photographs by Madeleine Hill.
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