Pork shoulder, (aka Boston Butt) is probably one of the most versatile and economical cuts of meat you can buy. A typical shoulder runs in the range of 5-7 pounds, so you can imagine the crowd you can feed with one. Hatch Chile Chopped Pork is great on its own — we like it in a loose meat sandwich, like a sloppy joe — but really that’s just the starting point for the multitude of things you can do with this recipe.
Aside from a little trimming and chopping, your slow-cooker (or Insta-Pot) does the real work. Cube the pork into large chunks.
Dice a green pepper and yellow onion.
Put everything in the crock pot and let the transformation begin!
The real champion of this dish are the hatch chilies. Not a little-bitty can of hatch chilies, but a full two cups of fire-roasted, peeled and semi-seeded chile peppers. These are courtesy of my good friend, Nola, who now lives out in Colorado and visits New Mexico to satisfy her cravings for these chiles. Last year she trekked back to Florida with a cooler filled top to bottom with a bushel of these chilies. Nola’s my good friend and she shared her chile bounty with me!
If you don’t happen to live next to a Fire-Roasting Hatch Chile stand and you don’t know Nola (yet), you can order them online and I would recommend it. {Disclaimer: this isn’t a sponsored post for Hatch chiles — I just love them. I make no money from the link and am not affiliated with them.}
Hatch chiles are smoky with a little heat, but it’s not overpowering. In fact, it’s more about flavor. Rich but subtle, tongue tingling, flavor.
The diced chiles go into the mix and it simmers… and simmers… When the meat is very tender and can be pulled apart with a fork, you know it’s done. Set a colander over a bowl and drain the meat — reserving the braising liquid. Skim any excess fat away and discard it.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board and roughly chop it. Transfer the meat to a bowl and if it seems dry add a little of the braising liquid. At this point the Hatch Chile Chopped Pork is ready for whatever you want to do with it.
One of our favorite ways to use it are in these simple loose-meat sandwiches topped with provolone or smoked gouda and a few ripe vegetables. But this would make an excellent starting point for a Southwestern Lasagna or as hash, griddled and topped with a fried egg and a drizzle of salsa verde. It would also make a great filling for quesadillas or a Southwestern rendition of Shepherd’s Pie.
What will you do with it? I’ve got a few more recipes in the coming weeks that use this chopped pork recipe , so be on the lookout… but in the meantime, have a bite of this sandwich…
Hatch Chile Chopped Pork
Slow-braised pork shoulder seasoned with fire roasted hatch chiles, garlic and spices makes a great filling for loose meat sandwiches, cassseroles and enchiladas. Feeds a crowd
Ingredients
- 1 5-pound pork shoulder
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 12-ounce beer
- 2 cups fire roasted hatch chiles peeled, seeded & chopped
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 3/4 cup salsa
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped, for garnish (optional)
For Beer Braised Hatch Chile Chopped Pork Sandwiches:
- 8 soft kaiser or sandwich rolls
- 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 2 cups arugula
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 4 cups Beer Braised Hatch Chile Chopped Pork
Instructions
Cut the pork shoulder into cubes and transfer to a slow cooker. Add the onions, green pepper and beer. Stir to combine. Turn the cooker onto high. Cover and braise for one hour.
Stir in the hatch chiles, salsa, cumin, salt and pepper. Cover and continue to cook for 2-3 hours or until pork is cooked through and very tender.
Place a sieve over a bowl and transfer the pork to the sieve. Drain well -- reserving the braising liquid.
Place the pork on a cutting board and roughly chop. Transfer pork to a bowl and moisten it with some of the braising liquids (about 1/3-2/3 cup). Add the chopped cilantro and serve.
For Pork Sandwiches, shown:
Build the sandwiches with arugula and tomato on the bottom bun. Pile on the hot chopped pork and a slice of provolone or smoked gouda. Garnish with additional cilantro and the other half of the bun.
More Glorious Pork:
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- Bulgogi Pork Belly Bao
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- Hearty Homestyle Pork Ragout
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- Carolina Pulled Pork
Don’t Forget To “Pin It” For Later!
Apparently it doesn’t matter if you follow the recipe exactly because my hatch chili pork turned out delicious. Maybe I didn’t make small enough cubes but it needed 4 hours in the crock pot. Also, I forgot to add the oregano and per the video, the garlic. For lunch today, after my neighbor and I went on a moderately steep 4.5 mile hike and were ravished by hunger, we had the hatch pork mixed with a bit of the charred tomatillo sauce on an “everything bun”, toasted with provolone, cilantro and lettuce. The recipe makes a lot so will use it in enchilada recipe too
I think pork shoulder is very forgiving — which is probably why I love them so much! Your sandwich sounds like THE BOMB! Yum!
Do you add the hatch chilis in step one of the instructions or two? This sounds easy and delicious. Bought my pork shoulder roast today to cook tomorrow.
Hi Pat! I just checked the recipe and saw my omission. I added the chiles in step 2 — and I’ve fixed it on the site. Thank you for pointing out my error! Enjoy!
I most definitely don’t cook enough with my slow cooker and am always looking for recipes to inspire me to get it out and use it. This has definitely done that! The flavors in this hatch chile chopped pork sound fantastic. I love that it serves a crowd, too. Great for game day!
Tee-hee-hee.. pork butt.. butt.. hahaha 😛 (Sorry, my inner 5 year old came out.)
Okay for real, I had never even HEARD of hatch chiles until this year, and now they’re everywhere, and I’ve never even seen them! I’m feeling deprived! I need to order some nowwwww
I like your inner 5 year old — and yes YOU NEED TO ORDER HATCH CHILIES!
I ADORE hatch chilies, and this sounds so flavorful and delicious! What a great and easy meal, and I cannot wait to make it! How yummy!
I love hatch chilis and freeze them when they are in season for use all year. I can’t believe I haven’t paired them with anything with pork? I mean we LOVE pork and its such a natural pairing. I know what we will be having for the next tailgating party… making this to put in slider buns to munch on at the game!
Oh – yes, you have to pair hatch chiles with pork — it’s the BEST!
Yum! I love cooking with hatch chilis. They are so flavorful!
This sounds like a crowd-pleaser! The pork looks perfectly tender and the fire roasted hatch chiles and spices sounds like it’s so flavourful and delicious.
It’s a real crowd pleaser, Marie!
Yum, nothing beats Hatch green chile! This recipe looks amazing!
this looks delicious! But what’s even better is how versatile it is!
Perfect for this years batch of green chilis and brisk Colorado weather! Yummmmm. Thanks so much for the shout out. I’ll be packing some for you on my next trip. xoxoxo
Oh – heck yeah – Miss Nola! I’m ready!