Chile Verde de Puerco (Pork Chile Verde)
Tender pork shoulder and spareribs are browned in lard, then slowly simmered in a roasted tomatillo salsa made with jalapeños, serranos, poblanos, cilantro, garlic, onion, and Mexican spices. The result is a rich, deeply flavored pork chile verde with fork tender meat and plenty of sauce.
Equipment
Ingredients
Pork
- 5 pounds pork shoulder or pork butt preferably bone-in, cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces; reserve the bone
- 4 pounds pork spareribs cut into short serving-size riblets if needed
- Garlic salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup Lard 1 cup to start for browning; add more only if needed
Chile Verde Sauce
- 2 pounds tomatillos milpero if available, husked and rinsed
- 4 jalapeño peppers
- 4 serrano peppers
- 2 poblano peppers
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 8 garlic cloves left unpeeled for roasting
- 1 small bunch cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder or granules
- 2 to 3 cups water divided
- 2 bay leaves
- Additional water or broth only as needed if the sauce becomes too thick
Instructions
Prepare the Roasted Salsa
- Heat a comal, griddle, grill, or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the tomatillos, jalapeños, serranos, onion, and unpeeled garlic cloves on the hot surface. Roast, turning occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and charred in spots. Remove them from the heat and peel the garlic once it is cool enough to handle.
- Roast the poblano peppers over direct heat, turning as needed, until the skins are blistered and blackened on all sides. Transfer them to a bowl or covered container and let them rest for about 10 minutes to loosen the skins.
- Peel away the loose charred skin from the poblanos. Open the peppers and remove the stems, seeds, and large inner veins.
- Add the roasted tomatillos and any collected juices to a large capacity blender. Add the jalapeños, serranos, onion, peeled garlic, cleaned poblanos, 1 small bunch cilantro, cumin seeds, Mexican oregano, whole peppercorns, chicken bouillon, and 2 cups water.
- Blend until smooth. Add up to 1 additional cup of water only as needed to help the mixture blend or reach the desired consistency.
Prepare the Pork
- Cut the pork shoulder into large 2- to 3-inch pieces. Cut or separate the spareribs into short serving size riblets if needed. Season the pork shoulder, spareribs, and reserved shoulder bone evenly with garlic salt and ground black pepper.
- Melt 1 cup of lard in a very large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the pork shoulder, spareribs, and reserved pork shoulder bone on several sides. Add more lard only if the bottom of the pot becomes dry.
- Transfer each browned batch to a large bowl. The pork does not need to be fully cooked at this stage.
Finish the Chile Verde
- Carefully ladle out most of the rendered fat, leaving approximately 2 tablespoons and the browned bits in the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and carefully pour in the blended tomatillo sauce. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits. Cook for a few minutes, until the sauce begins bubbling and thickens slightly.
- Return all the browned pork, the pork shoulder bone, and any accumulated juices to the pot.
- Add the 2 bay leaves and stir until the pork is evenly coated with the sauce.
- Bring the chile verde back to a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and cook over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir occasionally and check the pork for tenderness. If the meat is still firm, continue simmering until it pulls apart easily with a fork. If the sauce becomes too thick, add water or broth in small amounts. Remove the bay leaves and pork shoulder bone, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Serve the pork hot with plenty of chile verde sauce. Pair it with Mexican red rice, beans, and warm tortillas, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes a very large batch. Use a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven with enough room to brown and simmer 9 pounds of pork without overflowing.
- The pork is seasoned only with garlic salt and ground black pepper.
- Use 1 small bunch of cilantro in the chile verde sauce.
- Start with 1 cup of lard to brown the pork. Add more only if the bottom of the pot becomes dry. After browning, carefully remove excess rendered fat, leaving approximately 2 tablespoons and the browned bits before adding the sauce.
- Start the salsa with 2 cups of water. Add up to 1 additional cup only if needed for blending or adjusting the consistency.
- Chicken bouillon and garlic salt both contribute salt. Season the pork moderately, then taste the finished chile verde before adjusting the seasoning.
- Brown the pork in batches. Crowding the pot traps steam and prevents the meat from developing a browned exterior.
- If the pork shoulder includes a bone, brown it with the meat and leave it in the pot while the chile verde simmers. Remove and discard the bone before serving.
- The sauce will naturally change from bright green to a deeper olive-green or brownish-green color as the roasted ingredients and pork cook together.
- If the sauce becomes too thick during the long simmer, add water or broth in small amounts so the chile verde does not become watery.
- Mexican red rice, beans, and tortillas are optional serving suggestions and are not part of the chile verde ingredient list.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!