Pork and Green Chili Braise

Lightly roasted poblano and tomatillo make for the perfect braise

I love pork and green chili. I love it in stew. I love it in tacos. I love it in burritos. I love it under my pillow at night. You get the point. But I never make it at home.

Shopping last week, I saw a large pork shoulder roast for 3.99 lb and thought to myself: “It’s time”. I wanted a braise that was meltingly tender, but also rich and full of smoke from the chiles. In a perfect world, I would have sought out Hatch Green Chilis from New Mexico, but they aren’t in season. I tried one simple braise with canned green chilis, tomato sauce, and chicken stock, but the results, while tender, were lacking in that rich smoky sauce that makes a good chile braise.

Back at the grocery store, I passed by the chili section and the Poblanos cried out to me - in a Grocery store no less! They were screaming, it was weird. But, I live in SoCal, so anything goes. I grabbed some chilis and carried on. I also knew my tomato sauce was weak, so I picked up some tomatillos knowing the tart flavor would add a much-needed layer to the braising sauce. This is how I build a good braise: I think about the sauce. The melted collagen and rich meat create the star, but building a top-tier braising sauce is what takes a dish to the next level. I always try to build layers of flavor: smoke, tartness, sweetness, acidity, aromatics, and a good finishing vinegar.

My mission was complete: Braise the whole piece of pork shoulder in a rich sauce full of aromatics, smokey poblano, tart and roasted tomatillo, and a solid deglaze with a beer to pump up the flavors with alcohol (always deglaze with booze as it brings out many flavonoids that otherwise wouldn’t bloom).

The results were perfect. I didn’t even need to thicken the braising sauce as the tomatillo broke down enough to add viscosity.

INGREDIENTS:

1 each 1-2 lb pork shoulder cut

1 onion diced

2 celery ribs diced

2 carrots diced

5 cloves of garlic

1 each 12 oz beer

2 poblano peppers

8 tomatillo fresh

1 tablespoon avocado oil or butter

1 quart chicken broth

1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes crushed (1 small can)

STEPS:

Slice your poblano peppers and cleaned tomatillo, rub with oil and put on a sheet pan

Roast the peppers/tomatillo in a 400F oven for about 10 minutes or until they blacken a touch

While the peppers and tomatoes are roasting, dice your mirepoix (carrots, onions and celery). Then sear your pork in a large rondeau or braising pot on both sides until golden. Remove the pork and saute your mirepoix in the same pot.

Pull the peppers and peel the outer skins off with a spoon.

Deglaze the mirepoix with your beer.

Add the peppers and tomatillo back to the pot and cook with the beer until it’s halfway reduced.

Add your chicken broth, fire roasted tomatoes and pork to the pot and bring to a simmer. You MUST simmer before putting the lid on and placing it in the oven.

Braise in a 275F oven for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone. Place a lid over the pot but leave the lid open a touch so some steam can escape. Also, check the pot from time to time to make sure the braise isn’t boiling. This will make the meat dry and stringy. It should be at a lazy bubble or loose simmer.

The sauce will reduce into a gorgeous glaze. Serve with a crusty loaf of bread, toasted tortillas or over potatoes. Or just dive in headfirst.

ENJOY! Always feel free to email me with any questions: andrewgruel@gmail.com