- 12
Ingredients
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 5 lbs Pork Butt Shoulder, cut into 1.5" to 2" cubes
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 large onions, diced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt.
- 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 tbsp pureed chipotles en adobo
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 - 28oz cans diced tomatoes (or crushed, or both)
- 3 cups water
- 2 - 40oz cans Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed (or 5-6 15oz cans)
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Step 1
1. Sear the Pork: Heat vegetable oil in a large (8 quart) dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Salt the pork cubes with 2tsp salt. Brown the pork cubes in 3 or 4 batches, 3 to 4 minutes per side. I usually just treat them as having two "sides" - 3 minutes, flip, 3 minutes on the other side. Put browned cubes in a big bowl while you work on the other batches. When done, you'll have a nice, browned fond on the bottom of the pot, and the fat rendered from the pork. If the fond looks like it is starting to burn, reduce the heat to medium, and put pork cubes directly over the part of the pan that's in danger of burning.
2. Saute the Onion: Reduce heat to medium. You should have 2tbsp fat that rendered from the pork still in the pot; add more vegetable oil (or pour out fat) if necessary. Put the onions in the pot, and add 1/2 tsp salt, then saute the onions until softened and just starting to brown, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Toast the Spices: Add the chipotle puree, chili powder, cumin, sugar and oregano to the pot. Stir for 1 minute, or until you really start to smell the spices - you want to toast them a bit. Add the garlic, stir another 1 minute, or until you smell the garlic.
4. Cook the Chili: Add the tomatoes and water, and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any stuck spices. Add the reserved pork cubes and any juices they released. Turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours, or until thickened, adjusting heat as necessary. Stir in the kidney beans and cook for another hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.