Jeff and I have been experimenting with different chili dishes throughout football season, and this Bobby Flay recipe is one of our favorites. It resembles more of a chili verde than traditional thick chili — the broth is quite thin, and the entire dish consists of just large bites of pork with flavorful roasted vegetables. We eat it like a chili verde, wrapping each bite of pork and vegetables in pieces of warm corn tortillas…letting the messy juices run down our hands. The braised, then slow simmered, pork turns out so incredibly tender. The dish does pack a nice kick, so go with a milder pepper if you don’t like spicy food.
The only drawback to this chili is its high Weight Watchers PointsPlus value. Pork shoulder is a fatty tough piece of meat, which is what makes it turn out so tender and juicy when braised and simmered on low heat. So, Hubby and I definitely have this recipe on our radar to skinny down soon, perhaps substituting a lean pork loin roast.
Save yourself trouble and time by asking your butcher cut up the pork shoulder at the store — we learned the hard way the first time we made this. And, the entire dish takes a few hours, so save it for a weekend at home instead of trying it for a weeknight dinner.
Red onions, tomatillos, jalapenos an pork shoulder make up the main ingredients.
Toss the onions, tomatillos, jalapenos, and garlic with olive oil.
Spread the vege and oil mixture out on a baking sheet.
Using a Dutch Oven, brown the pork in olive oil in batches.
After pork is well-browned, cover with chicken stock.
Roast the vegetables until soft and browned.
Add roasted vegetables to the Dutch Oven, cover, then place in oven.
Cook about 1.5 hours, until pork is tender (liquid will have cooked down).
Add the cilantro puree to the chili.
Season with salt and pepper, then stir well.
Serve with warm corn tortillas.
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and halved
- 3 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and halved (leave seeds in for more heat)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Salt
- Pepper
- 12 corn tortillas, warmed
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, toss the onions, tomatillos, jalapenos, and garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Roast until soft and starting to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring twice during roasting.
- Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat. Brown the pork, in batches, until well-browned. When browned, add all of the pork back to the pan and cover with chicken stock. Add the roasted vegetables, cover the pan and place in the oven. Cook until the pork is very tender, about 1½ hours.
- While pork is cooking, place the cilantro in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of water and puree. Remove the pork from the oven and stir in the cilantro puree. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
- Serve with warm tortillas.
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Article by Colleen Greene
I am a librarian, web developer & strategist, and educator, who is into cooking, hiking, quilting and stitching, genealogy and local history.
Colleen has written 180 articles for The Taste Place.
