Chili Verde (Spanish for “green chili”) is a delicious stew made with pork that is seasoned, seared, and slowly cooked in a rich verde sauce or green sauce. This green sauce is made with roasted tomatillos, Anaheim peppers (long, bright green chiles), Poblano peppers (dark green in color and wider than Anaheim peppers), and jalapeño peppers (dark green and shorter in variety).
WHAT CUT OF PORK DO I USE?
Traditional Chili Verde is made by searing pork shoulder and slowly braising it in a Chili Verde sauce. Pork shoulder is best for slow cooking or smoking on a grill because the slow cooking breaks down the fat and connective tissue. For a large gathering, I’ll buy pork shoulder (usually a 5-pounder at Costco) and cook it low and slow. You want to cook this cut of pork low and slow to render out the fat into a rich sauce. You’ll enjoy the most tender Pork Chili Verde dinner, better than your favorite restaurant! Yum!
Weeknight dinner choice
For a weeknight dinner, I use Pork Tenderloin. The Pork Tenderloin is flavorful and an exceptionally tender cut of meat due to its low connective tissue content. If I’m in a rush, I can sear it at high heat and finish the cooking in the sauce in a shorter amount of time. If I have a busy day and am not home to watch the oven, then I use my slow cooker. When using my slow cooker, I still sear the meat but then transfer it into the slow cooker with its sauce to cook low and slow. Either way, I get a super tender and flavorful result.
WHAT’S A TOMATILLO?
The star of this dish is the Tomatillo. Tomatillo means “little tomato” in Spanish and is native to Mexico and Central America. Tomatillo is NOT a Tomato; they are a distant relative. The first time I bought a tomatillo I took a bite out of it and learned that lesson very quickly!
pace raw vegetables out on a baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil. spacing the vegetables will allow for even roasting.
WHERE CAN I FIND TOMATILLOS?
It’s available year-round in most grocery stores. I’m sure you’ve walked right past the tomatillo on your way to the Tomatoes.
First, you’ll notice the papery green outer husk known as the Calyx. The Calyx protects the tomatillo like a little jacket. Once the outer husk opens at the bottom Farmers know it’s time to harvest this little gem.
The tomatillo is smaller than most tomatoes. Typically, they will be about 2 inches on diameter.
What does a Tomatillo taste like?
Tomatillo has a texture like a firm plum or a crisp apple. It has a tangy, slightly tart citrus flavor that becomes sweeter as it ripens. This versatile fruit can be eaten raw, boiled, grilled, roasted, or sautéed. You can use it in salsa, soup, salad, salad dressing, and my favorite, Chili Verde.
FUN FACT ABOUT CHILI/CHILE
Did you know that Chili powder with an “i” is ground chili peppers mixed with spices like cumin, coriander, garlic powder, oregano, rice, allspice, or cloves. Chile powder spelled with an “e” typically labeled for a pure Chili powder of dried chili peppers only. Nothing else added.
Using that pure Chili powder gives an amazing flavor profile that I prefer to stand out in this dish. Using a pure Chili Powder allows you control over how much of each herb you want to add into your dish. Trust me your finished product will taste incredible.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Pork Loin or Pork Shoulder trimmed and cut into 1 1/2” cubes
- 1 ½ lb Tomatillos
- 3 Poblano Peppers
- 3 Anaheim Peppers
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper
- 2 large Onions peeled and quartered
- 6 Garlic cloves medium sized
- 3 Tbsps. Vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp Cumin ground
- 1 tbsp Oregano dried, ground
- 1 tbsp Sea Salt if using regular table salt, use 2 teaspoons then adjust to your taste
- 1 ½ tbsp Black Pepper ground
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 Handful of fresh Cilantro you know how I feel about this herb
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker optional
- 1 blender optional
- 1 large baking tray
Method
- First Prep vegetables before roasting under the broiler.
- Remove the husk from the Tomatillos. They have a sticky film on the tomatillo itself. Rinse them under cold running water until they don’t feel sticky anymore and then pat dry.
- Rinse Poblano, Anaheim and Jalapeno peppers again pat dry.
- Drying the vegetables before putting them under the broiler it helps the skin char instead of steaming the skin off the vegetable.
- On a baking sheet (I line my baking sheet with foil for easy clean up) place peppers, onions and garlic and lightly coat onions and garlic pieces with a bit of oil. About 2 Tbsps. of oil. In the oven use the middle rack, Broil on high for about 15 -20 minutes. Halfway I turn vegetables to roast the other sides. Keep an eye on these guys, they can burn fast depending on your oven. Let cool.
- Remove stems off of all peppers and add to blender along with garlic and onions. If the peppers are spicy, remove the seeds before you add to blender. We like a little heat so I leave the seeds in.
- Add salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and blend for a minute. Add the chicken broth and blend again for about 30 seconds. Taste and add salt if needed. If you need to thin out the sauce more, just add more chicken broth. Set sauce aside and prepare the pork.
- If you are using Pork Loin, be sure to remove the piece of connective tissue called the silver skin. It is a thin band of tissue and runs along on a side of the tenderloin. Its tough and not enjoyable to chew on.
- Get a sharp knife and cut in a small amount underneath skin and grab with one hand. Then place your knife underneath silver skin and drag your knife all the way while holding the silver skin with one hand. Don’t cut too much pork, you are just aiming to slice off this tough piece of connective tissue. Cut your pork into 1 ½” cubes.
- In a large bowl add pork cubes, salt, pepper and flour. Mix together so that the pork is well coated.
- In a Dutch oven or large pot add 3-4 Tbsps. oil. I like to use olive oil because it gives the dish great flavor and helps the meat brown better when searing. Vegetable oil and avocado oil are great too because they don’t burn at a higher temperature. Use what you like. I like Olive Oil both for flavor and for better browning.
- On medium high heat sear pork in batches. Careful not to overcrowd your pan. Work in 3-4 batches so your meat browns nicely. once browned place in either slow cooker or a separate bowl.
- If you are using the same large pot to cook the Chili Verde; once all of your meat is seared, place all of the pork back into the pot. Now add all of the Chili Verde sauce. Stir to combine. Cook uncovered on medium-low for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Stir occasionally. When pork is fork-tender, it’s ready.
- If you are using a slow cooker, add Chili Verde sauce to the seared pork. You should have enough liquid to cover the meat. If not, you can add a bit more chicken broth. Cover with its lid and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 3 hours. Stir occasionally.