Chile Verde con Carne (Green Chile with Meat)

This is my personal recipe that I have made for years. It's always a hit. I hope you enjoy it.

4-5 Pounds Pork shoulder or Beef (chuck or sirloin)
20-25 Green chilies, roasted and peeled
3-5 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Medium onion, medium dice
½ -1 Can of Stewed tomatoes, preferably Mexican style
2 Cups of Broth - Add water to cover the meat (See Notes)
¼ TSP of Cumin (Comino)
¼ TSP of Mexican oregano (do not use Italian oregano!)
Salt & Pepper to taste.

1. Brown the meat on medium-high heat, in vegetable oil, in batches if needed, (I use a cast iron Dutch Oven).
2. Return all the meat to the pot and add the garlic and onions, season with salt & pepper, cook for about ten minutes. 3. Add all the remaining ingredients, making sure the broth covers the meat, add a little water if needed. Bring it to a boil, cover and lower the flame and let the meat simmer for 1 ½ hrs, stirring occasionally. Reseason with salt as needed. If the chile is to watery, raise the heat and let it boil uncovered for a few minutes.

NOTES: 1. Use New Mexico green chiles if at all possible. If you do use California Anaheims add half as much hot yellow chilies ( Chile Gueritos), also roasted and peeled. 2. An alternative to cubed beef is to have your butcher give the meat a “Chili Grind”. You can also roast your pork with onions and garlic for about two hours at 350 degrees and then chop and shred the meat, then shorten the cooking time to one hour. Use chicken broth with pork, beef broth with beef. 3. Mexican Tomatillos can be used instead tomatoes. Tomatoes are strictly optional. Sometimes I leave them out for a pure green chile taste.

Roasting the Green Chilies

Roasting green chilies is not as hard as it might seem. I prefer roasting them on a BBQ grill over hot coals, charring the skins throughout the chile. It just takes a few minutes, so be careful. Whether using a grill or a stove top burner, or the broiler , the process remains the same; keep an eye on your chilies, and with a pair tongs turn them frequently to ensure that the chilies roast evenly. As they blacken place them in brown shopping bag or a clean, thick towel and let them steam for about thirty minutes. When they cool you can either peel the skins and use them immediately or freeze them. If you do freeze them leave the skin on, the chilies seem to hold up better. When you do thaw them out, peel the skin before they thaw completely. The skin comes off easier. Whatever you do do not remove the seeds. They are a large part of the green chile flavor