Tex-Mex Tonight: Make Chili Verde Con Carnitas

Nothing is better on a frozen day than some chili. But sometimes I eat so much chili in the winter that I get bored with it (I know, crazy, right?). But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop eating chili; it just means I'm going to change up the color and make some delicious chili verde. What makes this chili verde so good? Start with a lot of fresh, tart tomatillos — so the end product is nice and tangy. To balance that out, throw in some rich, meaty, slow-roasted carnitas. Once it's done, top it with a bit of sour cream, and I guarantee it'll be one of the best chilis you've ever had.

Tex-Mex Tonight: Make Chili Verde Con Carnitas
No Ratings
Prep Time
1
hour
Cook Time
4
hours
Servings
6
- 8
Tex-Mex Tonight: Make Chili Verde Con Carnitas
Total time: 5 hours
Ingredients
  • 4 - 6 pound pork butt (smaller if bone-out
  • 1/4 cup ground cumin
  • 1/4 cup chili powder
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 pounds tomatillos
  • 5 fresh jalapeños
  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 beers (light
  • 2 cups cilantro
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 3 tablespoons salt
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. Season the pork with cumin, chili powder and salt, place into a heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven), cover and roast for 4 hours.
  3. Meanwhile, roughly chop all the vegetables, heat the butter in a large pot over high heat and sauté the vegetables with the rest of the cumin, chili powder and salt until soft (8-10 minutes). Season with salt.
  4. Add 2 beers, cover and let simmer for about 3 hours.
  5. Turn off the heat, add the cilantro and lime, then blend in the pot with an immersion blender, or in a regular blender in batches (but let it cool a little first). 
  6. When the pork is done, allow it to cool enough to handle, take it out and use two forks to pull the meat apart into long, ropy strands. Take care to remove any large pieces of fat (or skin) and discard.
  7. Stir the shredded pork into the blended chili mixture, bring back to a simmer, and let cook for 15-20 minutes.
  8. Serve, garnished with sour cream and cilantro leaves, by itself or on top of rice and beans. 
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