Pork Chile Verde

Name: Pork Chile Verde
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 3 to 4 pounds pork shoulder; salt; 3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil; 1 large onion; 1 quart stock; 4 bay leaves; 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos; 1 head garlic; 1 large white onion; 2 to 4 serranos or jalapenos; 4 poblano; 1/2 cup chopped cilantro; 1/4 cup chopped epazote; 3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; salt; cilantro

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Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
3 hrs
Servings
8 servings
Calories
690 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Mexican

Pork Chile Verde

Elizabeth Hodge

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Chile verde is almost always made with pork. You will need tomatillos here, although green tomatoes can kinda-sorta substitute. You will also need some hot and mild green peppers, too. I prefer fire-roasted jalapenos and either Anaheim or poblano peppers, or as a last resort, green bell peppers.

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Ingredients

Servings

BRAISE

3 to 4 pounds pork shoulder (wild or farmed)
salt
3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced root to tip
1 quart stock (chicken, game, etc)
4 bay leaves

CHILE VERDE

1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
1 head garlic, separated into cloves but not peeled
1 large white onion
2 to 4 serranos or jalapenos, seeded and chopped
4 poblano, Anaheim or green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, loosely packed
1/4 cup chopped epazote (optional)
3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt
cilantro, Mexican cheese and sour cream, for garnish

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Instructions

Keep the pork or wild boar in large pieces -- cut them only small enough to fit into your Dutch oven or other heavy, lidded pot. Salt the meat well and brown it in the pot in the lard over medium-high heat. When the pork has browned, remove it and add the onions. Cook the onions until they get a little brown on the edges. Return the pork to the pot, add the bay leaves, stock and as much water as you need to submerge the meat. Cover pot and cook over low heat until the meat wants to fall apart -- about 3 hours for a wild hog shoulder, less for store-bought.
To prep the sauce, slice the tomatillos in half and arrange, cut side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Quarter the onion and put that on the sheet. Put the garlic cloves on the sheet, too and set under the broiler. Remove when they are a little charred, but not burned to a crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes. Or, you can char everything on a comal, which is what I do.
While the tomatillos are broiling, set the jalapenos and the poblano or Anaheim chiles directly on your gas burner or over your grill. (If you have an electric stove, add them to the broiler as well.) Blacken the skins of the peppers, turning them as needed. Once the skins are black, put the chiles in a paper bag. Close the bag to let the peppers steam themselves for 20 minutes. When they've steamed, take them out of the bag and remove the skins. Do this in the sink to minimize the mess. Remove all the seeds and the stems of the peppers, too. (Note: If you've ever been burned working with chiles, you might want to wear gloves for this. Working with the roasted jalapenos might irritate your skin.)
Put the tomatillos, onion and the roasted chiles into a food processor. Peel the garlic and put the garlic in, too. Add the 1/2 cup of cilantro, oregano, epazote if using, and a healthy pinch of salt. Buzz until everything is combined but there are still some little chunks; you want texture to the sauce. Mix in the cumin and set the sauce aside. Fry this sauce in the lard, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
When the meat's ready, lift it out of the pot and onto a baking sheet to cool a little. Keep the pot uncovered and turn the heat to high to boil down the braising liquid. Chop, or shred the meat with your fingers or with two forks.
Once the braising liquid has boiled down by about 2/3, remove the bay leaves and return the pork to the pot. Add the chile verde sauce and mix well. Serve over white rice with cilantro, some Mexican hard cheese and sour cream.

Notes

A note on the chile verde sauce. I make big batches and can it, which is a lot easier. It's basically the same recipe as here, only with a bit of added vinegar. If you're looking for a base recipe, this one is a good start. Once you make this, it will keep for a week in the fridge.
Take your time browning the meat. It adds a lot of flavor.
Adding the chile verde sauce at the end keeps flavors bright, and the sauce greener. That said, you can add it to the braising liquid and simmer it all together. This is traditional, and is tasty, but the sauce will be browner.
This is a guisado, a thick stew you can put on a tortilla. You don't want this thin, so if it is, cook it down uncovered.
Go easy on the hot peppers. It's easy to add them, hard to tame the heat if you overdid it. If you did, add potatoes; they help.
You do want lots of blackened char on the vegetables. That adds a ton of flavor here, and you will absolutely notice it.

Nutrition Information

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Calories 690kcal (35%) Carbohydrates 15g (5%) Protein 85g (170%) Fat 32g (49%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 14g Cholesterol 278mg (93%) Sodium 359mg (15%) Potassium 1964mg (56%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 448IU (9%) Vitamin C 65mg (72%) Calcium 118mg (12%) Iron 7mg (39%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 690 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	690kcal	35%
Carbohydrates	15g	5%
Protein	85g	170%
Fat	32g	49%
Saturated Fat	11g	55%
Polyunsaturated Fat	4g	24%
Monounsaturated Fat	14g	70%
Cholesterol	278mg	93%
Sodium	359mg	15%
Potassium	1964mg	42%
Fiber	4g	16%
Sugar	6g	12%
Vitamin A	448IU	9%
Vitamin C	65mg	72%
Calcium	118mg	12%
Iron	7mg	39%