Pork Green Chile

In Colorado and New Mexico, this stuff is a condiment.  Not really, but they put it on everything!  What I wouldn't give for a giant breakfast burrito full of hash browns and eggs, bacon and cheese, and smothered with fiery hot pork green chile!  You can eat this alone in a bowl with cheese and warm tortillas.  You can put it on eggs, tamales, burgers, burritos, crepes, you name it, it'll be good.

Obviously, no one in New Jersey has any clue how ridiculously desperate I am for this stuff, so I've learned to make my own.  Everyone out west has their own version, here is mine.  The key is to roast the green chiles yourself, but in a pinch, you can buy them canned.

Here's what you need:

• 1 lb. pork (any cut will do, but I try and find something lean) (finely diced)
• 8-10 Anaheim chiles (Hatch chiles from Hatch, NM are preferable) 

• You can also use Cubanelle, but they don't taste so great.  Poblanos are good, but they are spicier like the Hatch.  Or, mix and match.  You can roast some Jalepenos, too, to make it spicier, or go crazy and try the Habaneros.  You'll have to play around till you figure out how spicy you want it.
• 8 cloves of garlic (less if you want) (finely diced)
• 1 large yellow onion (coarsely chopped)
• 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes (I use the salt free)
• 1 tbsp. mild red chile powder (not chili mix which has other ingredients, just plain chile powder)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 tbsp. canola oil (any vegetable oil will do, really)
• salt to taste

How to do it:

First, you have to roast the green chiles.  I do it on the grill.  You can also do it over a gas stove, but it takes a lot of time and is really annoying.  If you don't have either of these options, best to just buy the canned green chiles.  It'll still be good.




Roast them over high flame until the skin is blackened and the chiles puff up then shrivel.






These chiles are mild, but some may still be a bit irritable. Make sure you wash your hands well after handling them and don't touch your eyes (or pick your nose)!






Under cold water, remove the stems, seeds and skin.  Don't worry of some of the skin won't come off.  NO big deal!  Coarsely chop the green chiles into about 1 inch pieces.

Next, heat the oil in a heavy pot and then add the pork along with the chile powder and cumin.  Fry the pork over high heat for only a few minutes until it has released a lot of its juices.  Remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate.  Put the onion and garlic in the pot and fry until the onions begin to soften.  Scrape the sides of the pot as you go, to loosen any brown bits.

Return the pork to the pot, add the green chiles, stir and fry for another minute or two.

Finally, add the can of diced tomatoes, juice and all, as well as the chicken stock.  Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours.  

The chile should thicken but still be a bit soupy. I like mine with grated cheddar cheese and crumbled tortilla chips.