Pork Green Chili
Makes: 1½ quarts (1.4 liters)
- ¼ cup (59 ml) olive-oil blend
- 1 lb (454 g) pork butt, ½" (13 mm) cubes
- Kosher salt
- ¼ lb (113 g) yellow onion, ½" (13 mm) dice
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- ¼ lb (113 g) tomatillos, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup (177 ml) all-pupose flour
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cup (473 ml) canned diced tomatoes
- ¾ lb (340 g) roasted Hatch green chilies (frozen will work as well), roughly chopped
- 1 qt (946 ml) chicken stock
- 1 cup (237 ml) Mexican-style lager
- Flour tortillas
- Cotija cheese
- Cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
In a large saucepan, heat the olive-oil blend over medium-high heat. Gently add the cubed pork and 1 tsp salt. Brown the pork. Add the onions, garlic, and tomatillos and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the flour, cumin, coriander, allspice, oregano, and bay leaves. Stir until all the flour has been absorbed. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, green chilies, stock, and beer.
Turn the heat back to medium. Bring the stew to a simmer for 45–60 minutes, until the pork is tender. Season with salt to taste.
To serve, char the tortillas over an open flame grill. Ladle the green chili into serving bowls and garnish each serving with a teaspoon of Cotija cheese and cilantro leaves, if desired. Serve with lime wedges and charred flour tortillas.
Beer Tasting Notes: The pairing is obvious, but it also gives us another excuse to stock the fridge with cold lager. Going light or dark on the lager will bring in a lighter sweetness versus a caramel dimension in the chili, and either works beautifully.
Beer Suggestions: Cruz Blanca Fade Away (Chicago), Westbound & Down The Coloradan (Idaho Springs, Colorado).