Colorado. Land of history, heritage, amazing mountain views, world-class skiing and much, much more. And, evidently, really good pork chili. Who knew? Well, lots of people – except me. Recently, I was watching a PBS cooking show that featured Colorado Green Chili and while I didn’t catch the exact recipe featured on the show, I got the basic idea. And after playing around with the main ingredients, I managed to achieve something really sublime.

Now, remember, I’m a native Texan and chili is sacred in Texas. It’s the state dish after all. (And in case you didn’t know, there’s a bit of a rivalry between Texans and Coloradans.) But major kudos to Colorado for their pork chili verde! If you are familiar with Texas chili you will know it does not (traditionally) contain beans and neither does Colorado Green Chili. Southern Colorado is green chili country and it is the roasted green chilis that make this pork chili special. I used Anaheim peppers because that was what was available in my local store. But you can use Pueblos, Poblanos, hatch chilis and others.

As you can see, the finished product chili verde is actually red in color – thanks to tomatoes and chili powder.  But it’s those roasted green chilis that impart the intense chili-infused flavor and heat that permeates every molecule of the dish. The chili is a cross between what I would think of as a thick chili and a soupy stew. It’s perfect for these frigid winter days we are having right now. And your home will have the most amazing aroma while it cooks.

I used a Dutch Oven because it is great for braising meats in a relatively short period of time compared to a slow-cooker. But you can easily convert this recipe – just check out this article for tips: Five Tips for Converting Dutch Oven Recipes to a Slow-Cooker

If you are from Colorado or familiar with Colorado Green Chili I’d especially love to hear from you in the comments. What do you think? Did I get it right? What type of green chilis do you like to use? Do Coloradans really hate Texans?

Thanks for stopping by!

Don’t forget to pre-order my paleo breakfast/desserts cookbook “Sweet Paleo”!!!

Recipe follows: Continue reading →

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