Chile Verde

This classic Mexican dish is perfect for… well, you can fill in the blank with just about anything. A cold night, a Super Bowl party, the only food you can bring with you to a desert island. Serve it with rice and beans, on nachos, by itself. For those who like it spicy, for those who like to play it safe, for those who like it just right. You can make it with fatty pork shoulder or make a healthy chicken or tofu version. The possibilities are endless and only bounded by your tastes.

Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 5-6 hours
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

4-5 lbs. bone-in pork shoulder cut into 2-inch chunks, skin removed (if you can’t get it cut up, a whole shoulder is probably fine)
1 1/2 lbs. fresh tomatillos, peeled and rinsed, OR a 28 oz. can of tomatillos
1 lb. jalapeño peppers, rinsed, roughly chopped, stem removed, (seeds removed, optional). (Feel free to substitute milder peppers like poblano or hotter peppers like serrano or even green bell pepper or mix and match to fit how well you can handle the heat. Also keep in mind that fresh peppers can vary wildly in their actual spice level so you might want to taste a tiny bit to see what you’re working with. When I cut off the stem, sometimes I lick the white part (the pith) of the part I’m throwing away because that’s the hottest part of the pepper and should give you the best idea of what you’re working with. If you don’t mind being brave.)
2 bunches cilantro, rinsed
2 limes, juiced
8-12 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt, plus more to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil (optional)

1. Remove the husk from your tomatillos and rinse them if fresh, or drain them if canned. Place the tomatillos on a cooking sheet and put them under an oven broiler for 8-12 minutes, until they are well-charred.

2. Give the tomatillos a few minutes to cool. It’s a good time to prep your other herbs and veggies. Add the tomatillos, chile peppers, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender and pulse until there are no large chunks of anything left (but it doesn’t have to be too smooth). Work in batches if necessary. Add half to your slow cooker (or dutch oven or stock pot, at least 5 qts), reserving the rest to pour over the meat when the time comes.

3. In a large frying or saute pan, add the oil. (OR if the pork shoulder came with skin that you had to trim, you can add the skin, fat-side down to the pan first over low heat until enough fat is rendered to brown the pork. Discard the skin). Raise the heat to medium. Once the oil or pork fat is up to temperature, add the pork and brown, about 3-4 minutes per side, working in batches as necessary. Add the browned pork to the slow cooker.

4. Turn the heat on the saute pan down to low and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Make sure to stir them enough to get all the good browned bits off the bottom of the pan. And always feel free to add more oil if the pan ever looks a little dry. Then add the onions to the slow cooker (or other pot). Top the slow cooker with the other half of the tomatillo sauce. Cover. Turn on the slow cooker. It should take 4-5 hours on high (or 8-10 hours on low). Stir maybe once, halfway through. (If using a pot on the stovetop, the cooking time might be a little less, you’ll need to stir a little more, and you may need to add a some water if it looks like it needs it.)

5. When the pork looks like it it’s ready to come off the bone, fish it out with a slotted spoon into something like a casserole dish or baking tray. Shred it with forks into bite size pieces, discarding the bones and any unwanted fat or connective tissue. If the sauce seems thin, leave the lid off while you do this and maybe give it a few minutes, until you have the consistency you want. (Though keep in mind that the pork will reabsorb some of the moisture when it returns to the pot.) Add the pork back to the slow cooker or pot and cover for five minutes. Then serve with rice and black beans (or whatever else you like).

(Note about substitutions: If you want to replace the pork with something leaner like chicken breast or tofu that cooks more quickly, I recommend doing it on the stove top and starting just with the sauce and onion and let that cook together for like an hour before you add the meat and cook just until the meat is ready. This is good if you don’t have as much time or want a healthier option. You probably also want to add a bit of chicken or vegetable stock because the meat won’t release as much moisture and you won’t get the depth of flavor you get from a bone-in cut.)