Green Chile with pork, not to be confused with salsa verde

I did a lot of research on how to make good green chile.  I know what it is supposed to taste like, but I had only made it a couple of times before.  What I discovered is that is varies, especially according to what region of the southwest you live in.  Smothered burritos, like you see here, are really common in Colorado, where I live.  One of my husband’s very favorite meals is a beef and bean burrito, smothered in green chile.   This is also known as a “G” at Nino’s, and he orders it every time we are there.  

Colorado green chile is solely green chile based.  A lot of recipes call that call themselves “green chile” should really call themselves “salsa verde”, because they are really tomatillo based.  Tomatillos are not spicy, so those recipes rely on another hot pepper, such as a jalapeno, to give them a kick.  Green chile is also made with pork.  By definition, I suppose you could call it a stew, simply because it is meat and vegetables and you let it simmer for a long time.  It is often used as a gravy, though, like you see in my picture.  Smothered burritos and juevos rancheros are good examples for that.  Some people also eat it like a soup or chili, with tortillas on the side.  

On to the recipe.  This Is more of a method than a recipe.  For the pork, I used a butt roast for two reasons.  One, it was cheap.  Two, it is fatty and gets really tender after simmering it for a couple of hours.  I just trimmed what fat I could as I was cubing it up and relied on the marbled fat to give it good flavor.  The chiles that I used came not only from our last basket, but also from the guacamole pack that I got with my basket two weeks ago.  I think I had a total of about three pounds of chile all together.  Remember how to roast them?  That is the very first step, so do it, if you haven’t already.

Green chile with pork, Colorado style

3 pounds green chile, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 lb pork, cubed into small cubes
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano (Mexican oregano if you have it.  I didn’t.)
2 tsp salt
6 cups water (approx)
1/4 c. cornstarch
Oil for sautéing

Put your chile in a blender and pulse it a few times.  You don’t want puree, but you want it chopped pretty fine.  Heat up a 4qt stockpot and drizzle enough oil to brown your pork, onions and garlic.  You don’t need to cook the pork all the way through, so stir it around every once in a while.  The onions should turn translucent and it will smell delicious.  Add the water, chiles, spices and salt.  Bring to a simmer and let it simmer for at least an hour, but longer is better.  Add more water, as needed.

Once you are satisfied with how tender the pork is, mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water to dissolve.  Add it to the chile and stir.  If you want it thicker, mix up another couple of tablespoons of cornstarch and water and repeat the process until you are happy with it.

Now you are ready to eat it!  I made breakfast burritos with egg, sausage and hashbrowns and smothered them with the chile.  I put cheddar cheese inside, but you could also sprinkle it on top of the chile.  

Also, a couple of weeks ago, I got the tortilla pack that Bountiful Baskets offers.  They are par-baked (?), meaning that you have to heat them on a griddle to finish cooking them.  This makes them taste homemade and I love them.  The large ones really are large and they are perfect for burritos.  Since the pack contains seven dozen, I keep what I’m not using in the freezer.  They will last for a couple of months that way.