I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this dish. It is so dang easy and so dang good…. talk about a good return on effort!
The only thing that makes this dish difficult is that you need patience and time for the pork to braise into deliciously tender bites. Fortunately, technology exists to save the day in the form of an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, which will cut your cooking time in half. OR you can use chicken, equally delicious in less time. Alternatively, you can take advantage of the time requirement and bring out that trusty old crockpot you inherited. Prep the pork and make the Chile Verde, then combine in a crockpot, set on low, and go to work. 8-12 hours later, let the aroma of slow-cooked deliciousness welcome you home. This is time management at its finest 😆
Serve with your favorite side dishes: rice, beans, pico de gallo tortillas, etc. Roll it in a burrito or top it over some chips for a Chile Verde nacho. I mean common, let’s go!
Pork in Chile Verde
Equipment
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker (optional to save time)
Ingredients
Pork
- 3½ lbs pork shoulder or pork butt
- salt & pepper
Chile Verde
- 2 lbs tomatillos
- 3 anaheim chilies
- 3 jalepenos
- 1 medium onion
- 6-7 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1½ tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
- handful of cilantro, chopped
How I Make It
Prepare the Pork
- Cut pork into equal size cubes, around 2-inch chunks. Season with salt and pepper and brown them in a pan (or Instant Pot). Do this in batches to avoid over-crowding. It does not have to cook all the way through, just browned. Set aside. If there is bone, keep the bone and add it back in later.
Make the Chile Verde
- Remove husks and wash the tomatillos.
- Roast or grill the tomatillos, Anaheim chilies, Jalapenos, onion until softened and charred. Then blend everything (including all the accumulated juices) in a blender or food processor with the garlic. Add cumin and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook until tender
- Combine the browned pork (including any accumulated juices) in the Chile Verde sauce. If you had a bone from the cut, add it here. Cook until tender. You can do this in different ways, but here are a few methods: - Instant Pot or pressure cooker for 40 minutes. - On the stove. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for about 2½ - 3 hours. If you are using a heatproof pot, you can also throw it in the oven at 375F for the same amount of time. - In a crockpot 4-5 hours on high, 12 hours on low.
- Once meat is tender, taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro. Sprinkle a little more on top to serve.
Notes
- Pork can be substituted for chicken.
- If using chicken, adjust the cooking time accordingly. For example, chicken drumsticks or bone-in thigh pieces should take about 45 minutes stove top (compared to 2-3 hours for pork). Time will vary depending on the cut and size of the chicken pieces.
