I set off the smoke detector while preparing this pulled pork chili, but it was well worth it. That’s because a few hours later, I was digging in to a big bowl of the stew and savoring every mouthful.
Although the recipe requires a lot of time, it calls for minimal hands-on work. The oven and stove do all the heavy lifting. In fact, I whipped up a half batch of extra-corny cornbread muffins while the meat rested and the other ingredients simmered together.
Whether you’re feeding a crowd or batch cooking for the week, pulled pork chili fits the bill. And it’s the perfect make-ahead meal as the mélange tastes better the longer it sits. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge or freezer to enjoy at a later date.
Recipe adapted from Saveur.
- 1 pound boneless pork shoulder
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 12 oz. bottle pale ale
- 6 ounces bacon, diced
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 fresh jalapeño, stems and seeds removed and finely diced
- 10 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 28 oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 12 oz. bottle pale ale
- 1 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15 oz. can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- thinly sliced green onions and radishes (for topping, optional)
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
- Season pork with salt and pepper. Place in a 9" square baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, garlic powder and cumin. Season pork with spice mixture.
- Bake until browned, about 30 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Remove the baking dish from the oven, add pale ale and cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 2 hours or until meat is fork tender.
- Transfer pork to a large bowl and let cool for 20 minutes; then shred pork with your fingers or two forks.
- In a large pot, cook bacon on medium heat until fat renders and bacon crisps, about 10 minutes.
- Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, chili powder, chili flakes, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and bay leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste begins to darken, about 3 minutes.
- Add tomatoes with juice, crushing with your hands as you add them, chicken broth, pale ale and beans. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened, about 1½ hours.
- Add prepared pulled pork, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes.
- Serve hot with green onions and radishes, if using.
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