Smoky Slow-Cooked Chili

(from desert.rose32’s recipe box)

Categories: soups

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 cups chopped onion
  • 1 3/4 cups chopped green bell pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup lager-style beer (such as Budweiser)
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tomatillos, quartered
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans plum tomatoes, undrained and chopped
  • 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added pinto beans, drained
  • 1 (7 3/4-ounce) can Mexican hot-style tomato sauce (such as El Paso)
  • 1 smoked ham hock (about 8 ounces)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
  • 2 ounces crumbled queso fresco (about 1/2 cup)
  • 8 lime wedges

Directions

  1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ground pork to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to slightly crumble. Drain well. Transfer pork to an electric slow cooker.

  2. Re-coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork shoulder; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Transfer pork to slow cooker.

  3. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in beer; cook 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker. Add chili powder, and next 9 ingredients (through ham hock) to slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 5 hours or until meat is tender. Remove bay leaves and ham hock; discard. Stir in sugar. Ladle about 1 1/3 cups chili into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1 tablespoon green onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese. Serve each serving with 1 lime wedge.

  4. Note: You can also cook the chili in a slow cooker on LOW for 8 hours. For cooking chili on the stove top, use a total of 12 ounces beer and simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the pork shoulder is tender.

  5. Note:

  6. Pork shoulder is usually sold in weights greater than a pound. Ask your butcher to trim off the amount you need, or look for pork shoulder steaks. Serve with corn bread.

Email to a friend | Print this recipe | Back