This Mexican pork chili verde braises cubes of pork shoulder in a flavorsome green salsa made with roasted tomatillos, garlic, and serrano chile peppers until the pork is fall-apart tender.
INGREDIENT :
1 ½ pounds fresh tomatillos, or more to taste, husks removed
3 serrano peppers
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
3 pounds pork shoulder, or more to taste, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
2 teaspoons garlic salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
½ cup red wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
RECIPE DIRECTION :
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine tomatillos, serrano peppers, and garlic in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet.
Place in the preheated oven and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove vegetables from oven, cool slightly, and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
While vegetables are roasting, heat lard in a Dutch oven or heavy oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with garlic salt and pepper and add to the pot in batches. Cook each batch until browned, about 7 minutes, removing to a plate with a slotted spoon. Drain and discard all but 2 tablespoons pan drippings.
Add onion and bell pepper to the pot. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour wine into the pan and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in browned pork, tomatillo puree, chicken stock, cilantro, oregano, cumin, and salt.
Cover and cook in the oven until pork is tender, 3 ½ to 4 hours. Allow to stand for 15 minutes, covered, before serving.
