BARN Bites’ Pork Chili Verde

This dish has been a big hit with BARN Bites participants; now we’re sharing it with you so you can make it at home:

Ingredients:

Verde Sauce:
1 cups chicken broth,
1/4 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, cut into 1/2-inch wedges,
1 bunch green onions, coarsely chopped
1 cups fresh cilantro with tender stems

Stew:
1 4- to 4 1/2-pound pork shoulder trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (pork Stew meat works as well)
1-2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
3/4 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, cut into 1/2-inch wedges,
2 cups (or more) chicken broth,
3/4 cup diced roasted peeled seeded mild green chiles (such as Hatch or Anaheim)
2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
Verde Sauce Mixture (above)
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
Garnish:
½ cup Fresh cilantro
Queso Fresco to garnish

Directions:

-Puree tomatillos, chicken broth, green onions, & cilantro in blender until salsa consistency. Set aside.
-Heat a cast iron stockpot, or any heavy stockpot, and put oil in bottom. Season pork shoulder with salt, then brown each side in the oiled pot on medium heat (just brown, do not cook all the way). You want the brown crispies on the bottom of the pan, but try not to burn them. Remove seared pork shoulder and set aside.
-Add onion, garlic cloves, and cumin seeds to pan. Stir and scrap the brown bits of the bottom of the pan and lightly sweat the onions and brown the cumin seeds (2-3min). Add remaining cubed tomatillos and cook another 1-2 minutes on med/high.
-Add chicken broth, oregano, mild green chilies, seared pork, and ¾ of the Verde Sauce mixture to pot. Simmer on low heat for 1-2 hours until pork is just fork tender. Season with Salt & Pepper to taste
-Add potatoes to stew and cook at a medium boil until tender (approx. 10 min). There is a change you might need to add a little more chicken stock or water at this point. You are looking for pasta sauce consistency of the liquid part of the stew, and so with adding the potatoes you might need more liquid. Check Seasoning, add salt and pepper as needed.
– Finish by adding remaining verde sauce and cook 1-2 minutes. Serve in bowl with crumbled queso fresco and cilantro on top and a side of warm tortillas.