Nothing says Merry Christmas like a bowl of green chili

Ok, maybe a new 50'' TV or a 60's Fender re-issue would do the trick. But more practically, the gift of food will have to do. Feliz Navidad!

While different sources will tell you different things about the influence of food color on taste (note: I made this up, but let's assume it's been scientifically debated) something about the color of this chili made it perfect for the occasion. By something about the color I mean it is green and red. So. Innovative. I've never been to New Mexico, but the smell of these chilis while roasting in the oven is what I would imagine every day in Santa Fe would be like. That and hot air balloon festivals. And Jesse Pinkmans. It must be an incredible place to reside.

Make this chili any time of year, but definitely make this for a little Mexican/West Coast infused holiday. This is some G-13 medical grade chili. I'd call it Chronic Chili, but my friends at Lagunitas Brewing Co. already did that with their red chili.

So here we go:

For the chili:

- 3(ish) lb. boneless pork shoulder.
- 1.5 lb. tomatillos
- 2 poblano peppers
- 1 red pepper
- 1 or 2 jalapeno depending on how much spice you want
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 2 yellow onions
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp smoked serrano powder if you can get it, or roast 1 seranno pepper
- 1 or 2 Tbsp mexican oregano 
- Optional: Some kind of white bean, like lima

Garnish on top yo' bowl:
- Limes
- Flour tortillas
- More cilantro



1. CHILI ROAST. Take your tomatillos, chili's, garlic, and other peppers and put them on a baking sheet. Cut the tomatillos in half cross wise. Throw them in the oven and set your oven to broil. It was a complete mystery to me for a while what the hell the broiler was for, but it's great when you just want to heat something from above (Think: Melt Nacho Cheese. Munch Now Children).

2. After they are getting nice and blackened, take them out and throw in a blender or food processor with half your cilantro bunch. Pulse this warm chili-cilantro mixture into a nice smooth mixture. It will look almost like salsa.

 3. Get your meat ready to bronze. Be good to your pork shoulder. Trim some of it's fat off before it meets its death by hot oil. Slice into pretty large 1 inch chunks, and go heavy on the salt and pepper. Pork likes liberal use of salt. While the pork is browning, throw in your cumin and any other chili powder you want to add in.

 4. After several minutes with your pork having some nice browned sides, take it out of the pot. Next you want to start the onions for your chili. I used some of the fat from the pork as the base for cooking the onions. Do this unless you just hate fat. But if that's the case, you're probably not ready any of this to begin with. Once the onions are done, throw in your pork and the green chili sauce you made. Next, add in enough chicken broth just to cover the meat. You shouldn't need a lot because the chili sauce is plenty of liquid. Admire how green your chili sauce is.

 5. At this point, you're pretty much done. You could also add in beans here if you wanted. Or chorizo. Or doritos. But no, beans really are good in this. Get the chili up to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Sit back, have a holiday cocktail, and let this cook for at least 2-3 hours. You want the pork to be fall apart tender, and this will take a little time. But well worth it my friend.


          Before....                                                                           .....3 hours later