Pork Chile Verde
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
2 hrs 30 mins
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Total Time
3 hrs
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Servings
8 servings
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Calories
690 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Mexican
Pork Chile Verde
Description
This recipe involves browning large pieces of pork shoulder seasoned with salt in lard until well colored, followed by slow braising in stock with sliced onions and bay leaves until the meat becomes tender and easy to pull apart. Separately, the chile verde sauce is prepared by roasting tomatillos, whole garlic cloves, and onions until charred to impart a smoky flavor. Serrano or jalapeño chiles and poblano peppers are added, along with fresh cilantro and optional epazote, then cooked with lard and seasoned with oregano, cumin, and salt.
The bright, tangy sauce is either added to the braised pork at the end to maintain its vivid color and flavor or simmered together for a more blended, darker stew. Pork Chile Verde is traditionally served wrapped in tortillas as a guisado, a thick stew meant for scooping rather than as a thin broth. The recipe encourages a careful char on vegetables to deepen flavor and recommends adjusting chili heat cautiously, with potatoes suggested to tame excessive spiciness.
This recipe is also suitable for making large batches of chile verde sauce for canning or extended storage, with vinegar added for preservation if desired.
Ingredients
BRAISE
- 3 pork shoulder wild or farmed, up to 4 pounds
- salt
- 3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
- 1 onion sliced root to tip, large
- 1 quart stock (chicken, game, etc)
- 4 bay leaf
CHILE VERDE
- 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
- 1 garlic separated into cloves but not peeled, head
- 1 white onion large
- 2 to 4 serrano chile seeded and chopped, or jalapenos
- 4 poblano chile Anaheim or green bell peppers
- 1/2 cup cilantro loosely packed, chopped
- 1/4 cup epazote optional, chopped
- 3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon oregano preferably Mexican, dried
- 2 teaspoons cumin ground
- salt
- cilantro Mexican cheese and sour cream, for garnish
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
- Take time to brown the pork thoroughly to develop deep flavor.
- Roast or char vegetables heavily to add smoky depth to the chile verde sauce.
- Add the chile verde sauce at the end to keep its bright green color, or simmer together for a darker stew.
- The dish is traditionally a thick stew served with tortillas, not a thin broth.
- Adjust chili peppers carefully; excess heat can be balanced with potatoes.
- Large batches of chile verde sauce can be canned with added vinegar for storage.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition 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% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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