Chili Verde

This Chili Verde recipe is easy to prepare. I found the verde recipe online but have no idea where. If it looks familiar to you, please let me know the url and I'll update this post to give credit where credit is due.

For the pork, check out my previous posting on 'Pulled Pork Sandwiches'. Follow the directions for smoking the pork. If you don't have a smoker, you can prepare the pork shoulder in the oven, but be sure to use the dry rub from the post and let it stand overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. An 8-10 lb pork shoulder or butt will work just fine.

Verde Sauce - to a food processor add:

2 TBS kosher salt

4 TBS ground cumin

1 large green bell pepper (Cleaned and chopped)

3 TBS water

2 tomatillos

Pour this mixture into a large skillet or dutch oven. I like to use an 8 qt dutch oven as it is the perfect size to hold the verde sauce and the pork once it has finished smoking.

Now, do a fine chop on 2 white onions either by hand or in your food processor and add to the mixture.

Additionally, add:

3 large tomatoes chopped up

2 TBS minced garlic

2 TBS olive oil

2 TBS canola oil

4 potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks 

(the potatoes will break down and thicken up the sauce)

Stir it all together, cover and bring to a simmer. The longer it simmers, the better it gets. I like to cube the pork into bite size morsels. Add the pork to the verde and continue simmering. If you need an amount of time to cook . . . let's say 3 hours, but go longer if you can. This is a great dish to prepare a day ahead of time and reheat for your meal.

This Chili Verde is sure to please. I like to ladle into a bowl, add a dollop of sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro . . . and of course my favorite hot sauce. I prepared this for an end of season soccer party this last weekend and it seemed to be a big hit. Enjoy!

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Pork Shoulder is one of my favorite meats to BBQ because it cooks up moist and juicy. It is also very versatile, so be sure to smoke more than what you need for your meal as it's a meat that keeps on giving all of it's goodness.

Bobby Flay has a great recipe at Food Network for "Pulled Pork Sandwich with Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce and Green Onion Slaw". Here is the link: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/throwdown-with-bobby-flay/pulled-pork-sandwich-with-black-pepper-vinegar-sauce-and-green-onion-slaw-recipe/index.html

I learned early on that you can't rush any part of the cooking and preparation process. So give yourself two days to prepare the shoulder. The first 24 hrs is the rub working it's way into the meat. If you have an injector that can handle the spices, reserve 1/4 cup of the rub with 2 cups of apple cider vinegar and combine. Inject the shoulder with all this goodness, wrap it in saran wrap and get in back in the refrigerator. The next 12-14 hrs will be in the smoker. Keep the heat low, 225-250, and you won't be disappointed. I like to get the temperature of the shoulder to 185-190.  And remember, that most of the smoke that is going to penetrate into the shoulder occurs in the first 4 hours. So keep adding those wood chips; I like a mix of hickory and apple.

Bobby Flay's (I hope he doesn't mind that I call him Bobby)  dry rub has become my standard pork rub. It is the best I've come across. And the black pepper vinegar sauce is to die for. It has a nice zip . . . you won't put  BBQ sauce on this sandwich. Enjoy!