Green Chile Pork Stew
Roasted Hatch chiles and seared pork shoulder give this green chile pork stew its smoky heat, with a light dusting of flour thickening the broth just enough for a comforting one-pot meal.
Equipment
- 6-quart Dutch oven - or other heavy-bottomed pot with a lid
- Chef's knife - sharp, for cubing the pork and potatoes
- Wooden cutting board
- Wooden spoon - for scraping up the browned bits
- Soup Ladle - for serving
- Kitchen tongs - for turning the pork as it browns
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs boneless pork shoulder - 1.1 kg, trimmed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
- 3 tbsp avocado oil - 45 ml, or other neutral high-heat oil, divided
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour - 24 g
- 1 large yellow onion - about 1.5 cups or 240 g, diced
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 lbs roasted, peeled green chiles - 900 g, chopped; Hatch preferred, Anaheim or poblano work too, or substitute four 4-oz (113 g) cans fire-roasted green chiles
- 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes - 450 g, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch (2 cm) cubes
- 2 tsp ground cumin - 4 g
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano - 1 g
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth - 1.4 L
- 1 tsp fine sea salt - 6 g, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper - 1 g
- fresh cilantro - chopped, optional garnish
- lime wedges - optional garnish
- sour cream - optional garnish
- warm tortillas - for serving
Instructions
- Pat the pork cubes dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the pork in batches until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot. Sauté the diced onion over medium heat until soft and lightly golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Sprinkle the flour, cumin, and oregano over the onions. Stir constantly for about 1 minute to toast the flour and spices and coat the aromatics.
- Pour in the chicken broth a little at a time, scraping up the browned bits. Return the pork and juices to the pot, tuck in the bay leaves, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour.
- Stir in the chopped green chiles and cubed potatoes. Return to a low simmer and cook uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes until the pork pulls apart easily and the potatoes are tender.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper as needed. Let the pot rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving.
- Ladle the stew into warmed bowls. Top with chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a spoonful of sour cream if you like. Serve with warm tortillas on the side.
Notes
- Dry the pork before browning: Surface moisture steams the meat instead of searing it, so blot the cubes well and don't crowd the pot.
- Thicken with flour, not a slurry: Toasting flour with the aromatics gives a cleaner, rounder body than stirring in a cornstarch slurry at the end.
- Roast your own chiles when you can: Blistering fresh chiles over an open flame or under the broiler, then steaming and peeling them, pulls out a sweetness that canned chile never quite matches.
- Taste the chiles first: Heat varies batch to batch, so sample a piece and blend hot and mild chiles to hit the spice level you want.
- Make it ahead: The flavor deepens as it cools, so making it a day ahead genuinely improves it. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Keep the simmer low: A hard boil toughens pork; a lazy bubble is what breaks the meat down into tender pieces.
- Add potatoes later, not earlier: Dropping them in for the final 30 to 40 minutes keeps them from turning to mush.
- Substitutions: Canned fire-roasted green chiles work well; use about four 4-oz (113 g) cans to replace the 2 pounds of fresh chile. For beef green chile stew, swap the pork for cubed chuck roast and add 20 to 30 minutes of simmer time.
- Make it thicker: Mash a few of the cooked potatoes against the side of the pot, or stir in a tablespoon of cornmeal at the end.
- Slow cooker and Instant Pot: For a slow cooker, brown the pork and aromatics first, then cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, adding potatoes partway through. For an Instant Pot, sauté to brown, then pressure cook about 35 minutes, adding potatoes and chiles for a short second cook.
Nutrition
Serving: 1BowlCalories: 330kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 28gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 620mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4g
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