We had a handful of tomatillos leftover from a farm basket we brought home a few weeks ago, and were excited to try a chile verde recipe from one of our favorite cookbooks, “Tacolicious” by Sara Deseran. The original recipe calls for a fresh poblano chile (hence, the verde or green color of the chili) but my colorblind husband used a dried ancho chile instead. A red chile. Therefore, this recipe is a bit more chile rojo than verde. Regardless, this slow-cooked pork tastes amazing! Of course, we served it with Ricolicious, one of our families’ favorites.
Chile Verde, or Rojo?
When a colorblind husband prepares the Chile Verde using red ancho chile instead of green poblano, it may turn out to be Chile Roja instead. Regardless, this slow-cooked pork tastes amazing. The recipe produced enough shredded meat to cover 2 family dinners plus lunch burritos for the boys. We served it with Ricolicious. Both recipes are from "Tacolicious" by Sara Deseran.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time3 hrs
Servings: 10
Calories: 238kcal
Ingredients
- 5 tomatillos hulls removed and halved
- 2 jalapeno chiles stemmed and halved
- 4 cups water
- 1 bunch green onions 3-4 chopped, the rest sliced
- 1 1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 ancho chile dried*
- 2 1/2 lb pork butt or shoulder trimmed of fat and cut into 3 inch cubes
- corn tortillas, warmed optional
- 1 lime sliced
Instructions
- Combine the tomatillos, jalapenos, and water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Then turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tomatillos and chiles are soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Pour the cooled contents of the pot into a blender; add the green onion and salt, and blend until smooth.
- Dry the pot; add the oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the remaining green onions and the prepared ancho chile slices (*see note). Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes or until the contents are softened. Add the pork cubes and pour in the tomatillo mixture from the blender. Bring the pot to a simmer.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the pork is so tender it pulls apart with a fork.
- Remove the pork to a bowl with some of its juices. Shred it using two forks into chunky pieces. Serve with a slice of lime plus veggies, tortillas, or rice. Enjoy!
Notes
We mention the cookbook “Tacolicious” a lot. It’s because it’s amazing! If you love tacos or have a friend who does, this is a great book to add to a cookbook library.
* The original recipe calls for a poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch wide strips. If you use a dried ancho chile, like we did, first deseed it, then soak it, then cut it lengthwise as directed.
We served this with Ricolicious.
