Chile verde - braised tomatillo poblano pork

5 from 9 votes

Chile verde - braised tomatillo poblano pork

Chile verde (chile verde) is loaded with big, bold, fresh flavours. Try it as is or use it as the filling for tacos or the best burrito you've ever had.

Prep Time40

Cook Time1 30

Total Time2 10

Course: Main

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 428kcal

Author: romain | glebekitchen

Ingredients

Salsa verde

1 lb tomatillos
3-4 poblano chilies
1 jalapeno left intact
1 white onion sliced into 3 one inch slices
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
1 cup chicken stock low or no sodium
1 tsp salt

3 lbs pork shoulder or pork ribs
3 Tbsp vegetable oil or pork lard if you can get it
1 cup chicken stock low or no sodium - this is not an accidental repeat of the stock in the salsa verde. 2 cups total.
salt to taste
fresh tortillas to serve

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the salsa verde

Roast and peel your poblanos. This is easiest using a BBQ but you can do it with your broiler as well. I would not recommend doing it over a gas burner as it makes one unholy mess.
You want to blast your poblanos with direct heat until the skin blisters and starts to char. This will make it way easier to peel them.
Once they are blistered and a wonderful golden black all over transfer them to a bowl and cover with plastic film wrap. Let them steam in their own heat for about 15 minutes.
Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skin, stem and seeds. Set aside.
Pre-heat a comal or cast iron frying pan over medium heat.
Slice your onion into 3 one inch thick slices (parallel to the equator of the onion so you see big rings). Peel your garlic cloves.
Place the onions, jalapeño and garlic on the dry, pre-heated pan. You want to cook them until the onions are soft and have a bit of char on both sides. Flip your garlic and jalapeño around. The garlic will cooked quickest, followed by the jalapeño and finally the onion slices.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Bring a pot holding enough well-salted water to cover the tomatillos completely to a boil. Simmer the tomatillos for about 4 minutes - they will turn pale when they are ready to come out. Allow to cool. You can also roast the tomatillos under the broiler. That is messy and I find there's enough char flavour coming from the onion and peppers so I usually don't bother. Up to you.
Combine the poblanos, onion, garlic, tomatillos, cilantro, and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. You will likely need to add some or all of the first cup of chicken stock to get it go.

Make the chile verde

Cut pork into individual ribs or 1 inch by 1 inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat the vegetable oil in a pot large enough to hold all the pork.
Work in batches. Brown the pork. Each batch should be no more than one layer deep with room around individual pieces. One pound per batch is a reasonable starting point. The maillard reaction that comes from browning the pork adds tons of flavour to this dish so take the time here. It's worth it.
Remove each batch as it finishes browning and place in a bowl. You want to catch all the juices. Juices are flavour.
Remove all but 2 Tbsp fat from the pot. Heat over medium heat. Fry the pureed tomatillo pepper mixture for 3 minutes. Stir constantly to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. That stuff is pure cooking gold. The sauce will darken.
Return the pork and the accumulated juices to the pot. Add the second cup of stock.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Check for tenderness. This will probably take around 90 minutes for pork shoulder but it is done when it is done. And that is when it is tender.
Taste and adjust for salt. You will need more so creep up on it carefully.
Garnish with a little cilantro or white onions if you like. Serve with warm corn tortillas. Or make killer tacos. Or the best wet burrito you have ever had.

Notes

If you can't get poblanos you can use the canned diced green chilies (not canned jalapeños) that come in the little 4 oz cans. Two of the cans does the trick.

You can even use a jar of a Mexican brand of green tomatillo salsa. I've done this and it works pretty well in a pinch. Just deglaze the pan with the salsa and proceed with the recipe. Super easy and surprisingly tasty dinner.

Nutrition