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Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 300 Minutes |
Ready In: 330 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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This is the cover-page recipe for the Jan/Feb 2009 Cooking Light Magazine. I made it for dinner tonight, letting it simmer all day on low in my slow cooker. It is definately my favorite chili recipe I have tried so far. The flavors are wonderful! I'm definately going to try it out with both beef and chicken too. Just beware, the prep is a little more time-consuming than your average slow cooker recipe. But it's well worth the extra effort when you open the door after a long day at work and have the wonderful smells greeting you! Note, I did make some minor changes, based on what I had at hand (used just cubed pork, omitted tomato paste, added a can of green chilies), but I'm posting the original recipe, as I don't think my changes affected the flavor much. Ingredients:
cooking spray |
1 lb pork, ground |
1 lb pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch pieces |
3 cups onions, chopped |
1 3/4 cups green bell peppers, chopped |
3 garlic cloves, minced |
3 tablespoons tomato paste |
1 cup beer (lager-style such as budweiser) |
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided |
3 tablespoons chili powder |
1 tablespoon ground cumin |
2 teaspoons dried oregano |
3/4 teaspoon fresh 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 tomato sauce, mexican hot-style (such as el paso) |
1 smoked ham hock (about 8 ounces) |
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar |
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped |
1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped |
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled (2 ounces) |
8 lime wedges |
Directions:
1. 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. 2. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add pork shoulder; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Transfer pork to slow cooker.
3. 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 1/4 teaspoon salt, 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 remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 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 stovetop, use a total of 12 ounces beer and simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the pork shoulder is tender.
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