Favourite Garlicky Green Chili

This is Southwestern green chili the way it should be: cubes of pork slow-simmered with a generous hit of garlic and a deep, smoky base of roasted chilies. Anaheim and jalapeno peppers are roasted, peeled, and chopped first, a step worth every minute, since charring the skins blisters away the raw bite and unlocks a rich, smoky-sweet flavor you can’t get any other way.

Building the base is classic technique. Brown the pork and onion to develop flavor, then make a quick roux in the rendered oil and whisk in chicken broth, which thickens the chili into a clingy, gravy-like consistency rather than a thin soup. Cumin and chili powder round out that earthy, warming spice.

Then it’s all about time. A low, slow simmer of a couple of hours (or four to six in the crock pot) breaks down the pork until it’s meltingly tender and lets the flavors marry into something deeper than the sum of its parts. It’s endlessly useful: ladle it over burritos and enchiladas, smother breakfast eggs, spoon it into tacos, or just eat it in a bowl with warm tortillas.

Pro Tips

• Roast and peel the chilies before they go in. Charring the skins removes the raw bite and adds essential smoky depth.
• Brown the pork well before simmering. The seared surface deepens the whole pot.
• Make the roux in the pork’s rendered fat and whisk in broth gradually so it thickens smoothly without lumps.
• Slow and low is key. Don’t rush the simmer, or the pork won’t turn tender.

Variations

• Adjust the heat with more or fewer jalapenos, or add a hotter chile like serrano.
• Add diced potatoes or white beans to stretch it further.
• Use pork shoulder for the richest, most tender result.