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BAGs Chili Verde, 2002 BAGs gathering at Roger Van Maren's shop
9/9/02
2 lb uncooked boneless pork roast, cut into cubes
olive oil
2 onions
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 7-ounce can diced green chilies
1 12-ounce can cooked tomatillos, drained and chopped in food processor
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
2 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp corn starch, or as-needed to thicken
You can make this in a crock pot if you have one big enough; the basic recipe will certainly fit. If you are cooking for a large number of people and wish to double the recipe, then an alternative is to use a large dutch oven or stock pot instead of a crock pot and cook it for a long time on very low heat. Either way, I tend to cook this about eight hours if possible.
1. Chop onions, garlic, and jalapeno in food processor or by hand if you are feeling particularly galootish. Heat olive oil (about 1 tablespoon should suffice) in a large frying pan. Saute chopped vegetables in olive oil until onions are translucent, about five minutes.
2. Move mixture to crock pot or dutch oven. Brown pork in pan, adding oil as necessary. It may take several batches to do this. For the last batch of meat, when they are just about browned, add the diced green chilies to the pan. These contain quite a bit of liquid, which can be used to deglaze the pan. If there is not enough liquid, you could add a small amount of beer to the pan as well. When the pan is deglazed, move contents to crock pot.
3) Add chopped tomatillos and dry spices to crock pot and mix well.
4) Cook for six to eight hours.
5) Check thickness. It may be a bit too thin, in which case use cornstarch to thicken it. The best method is to mix the cornstarch with water first, about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to two tablespoons of water; this prevents lumping. Stir it in and let it cook for a few minutes. Then check consistency again, adding more cornstarch as necessary. One or two tablespoons should be sufficient for the basic recipe.
An alternative method is to use leftover cooked pork roast, in which case you don’t need to brown it and you only need to cook it an hour or so.
You can also use other meats if you don’t eat pork. This recipe ought to work just fine for beef or chicken, although I have not tried it yet.
I assume you understand what deglazing is, but just in case you don’t, here’s an explanation. When you brown meat in oil, small bits of it (and other things like onions) tend to stick to the bottom of the pan. These should not be wasted. The traditional method of recovery is to put a small amount of liquid (wine, beer, stock, etc.) in the pan and bring it to a boil. Then, you gently scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula or other straight-bladed instrument; a spoon does not work very well as it only contacts the bottom at one point. Work your way around the pan until the bottom is clean and shiny, and all the little bits are now mixed in with the deglazing liquid. This is not a problem if you use teflon-coated pans, but would a real galoot do that? I think not.
BAGs Chili Colorado, 2003 BAGs gathering at Tom Holloway's shop
3 pounds boneless chuck
olive oil as necessary
1 1/2 onions, chopped relatively fine
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 7 oz can diced green chilies
1 large (28 oz.?) can diced or crushed tomatoes with liquid
1/2 cup hot salsa
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 beer
1) Cut meat into bite-size cubes; perfectionists should use a marking gage to ensure repeatibility. Remove fat, gristle, or anything that doesn't look like you would want to eat it.
2) Heat oil in dutch oven, brown meat. This usually requires doing it in two batches. Remove each batch to some temporary storage container when brown.
3) Add more oil to pan, saute onions, garlic, and diced green chilies until the onions are translucent.
4) Add remaining ingredients and return meat to pan; mix well. Bring to a simmer. Let it sit about three hours. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Note that the addition of beer is generally based on needing a beer at this stage of the cooking process. If there seems to be enough liquid, feel free to just drink the beer and leave it out of the recipe.
I didn't add any cayenne to this batch, although the prototype had some. It was actually disturbingly hot, but if you like your chili this way, feel free to add some.