Chili Verde con Carnitas

By cooksalot

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• Carnitas
• 4 - 6 pound pork butt (smaller if bone-out, larger if bone-in)
• 1/4 cup ground cumin
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup salt
• Chili
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 pounds tomatillos
• 5 fresh jalapeños
• 1 large sweet onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 cups cilantro, loosely packed
• 2 beers (light, like PBR, Rolling Rock, Modelo, et cetera)
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 3 tablespoons salt

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Season the pork with cumin, chili powder and salt, place into a heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven), cover and roast for 4 hours.
Meanwhile, roughly chop all the vegetables, heat the butter in a large pot over high heat and sauté the vegetables with the rest of the cumin, chili powder and salt until soft (8-10 minutes). Season with salt.
Add 2 beers, cover and let simmer for about 3 hours.
Turn off the heat, add the cilantro and lime, then blend in the pot with an immersion blender, or in a regular blender in batches (but let it cool a little first).
When the pork is done, allow it to cool enough to handle, take it out and use two forks to pull the meat apart into long, ropy strands. Take care to remove any large pieces of fat (or skin) and discard.
Stir the shredded pork into the blended chili mixture, bring back to a simmer, and let cook for 15-20 minutes.
Serve, garnished with sour cream and cilantro leaves, by itself or on top of rice and beans.