Best Spicy Green Chili
Submitted by kneel
New Mexico style spicy green chili braises pork shoulder and bones with tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chili strips, and hot peppers. Use to smother enchiladas or eat by the bowlful.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minSpicy green chili is the New Mexico-style smother-or-serve chili built around browned pork and a generous pour of green chili strips. This is not Tex-Mex chili con carne, this is the gravy you ladle over enchiladas and burritos at the diner that closes at 9pm.
The browned pork shoulder and the pork bones together create a richness that meat alone cannot match. The bones release collagen during the long boil, lending the chili a velvety body that becomes apparent once the pot cools and a little gelatin sets.
Strain the tomato juice into the pot first to capture every drop of flavor, then coarsely chop the tomato flesh and add. Three stages of cooking, 20 minutes hard boil, 20 minutes with spices and chilies, 20 minutes reducing to the right thickness, build flavor layer by layer.
A tablespoon of sugar balances the tomato acid and chili heat without making the chili taste sweet. This is the southwestern home-cook trick that has been quietly improving chili for generations.
Serve over enchiladas, inside burritos, or just by the bowlful with warm flour tortillas for dipping.
Chef Tips
- Use fresh pork shoulder if you can find it, the marbling delivers more flavor than loin.
- Save the bones from a pork roast or buy them separately at the butcher counter.
- Adjust hot peppers to your tolerance, three-quarters of an ounce is medium heat, a full ounce brings serious fire.
- The chili tastes better on day two, make ahead and reheat gently.
Variations
- Add a tablespoon of ground cumin and a teaspoon of Mexican oregano for a more authentic flavor profile.
- Stir in a can of pinto beans during the last 20 minutes for a heartier bean-and-pork version.
- Swap canned green chilies for fresh roasted Hatch chiles when in season.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut pork into ½-inch squares and with the pork bones, fry over low heat until brown and the meat is slightly dry.
If pork is very fatty, pour off all but 4 or 5 tablespoons of the grease.
Using a colander, strain tomatoes juices into an 8-quart saucepan, and coarsely chop the meat of the tomatoes.
Combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, hot water and cooked pork and pork bones in the same saucepan.
Bring to a rapid boil and continue boiling for 20 minutes.
Add spices, hot peppers, and chili strips.
Continue boiling for another 20 minutes.
Finish by cooking on medium heat until desired thickness, usually another 20 minutes.
Remove bones and serve over enchiladas, burritos, or by the bowlful.
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