Want an easy and economical recipe to feed the whole family? My Tex-Mex braised pork stew eats like a chili with big chunks of tender pork, black beans and sweet corn. Use a dutch oven or slow cooker to braise the stew.
The inspiration for Tex-Mex Braised Pork Stew aside from a bounty of hatch chilies, is thrift and ease! Boston butt is a very economical cut of meat, especially at Costco.
The retailer packages two 5-7 pound pork shoulders each into one package and they generally cost around $20-30. That’s 10-14 POUNDS of meat for very little money.
I used to fix them only when I had a lot of people to cook for. I still do that, but I’ve also found that trimming them into smaller portions of two or three pounds makes ’em perfect for everyday cooking — even for just the two (or three) of us.
Tex-Mex Braised Pork Stew is also an easy way to prepare this cut for maximum flavorwith minimal effort. This recipe serves four to five people, which is perfect for dinner and then leftovers for lunch the next day.
For this recipe I use about 3 pounds of pork shoulder, trimmed into bite sized chunks. Brown the meat in a medium dutch oven and add the onions, garlic and spices. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables soften a bit.
Then add the broth, black beans and hatch green chilies. Seal it with the lid and place the pot in the oven for two and a half to three hours. That slow braise breaks down the normally tough cut of meat into a satisfying, fork-tender bite. The chilies add heat, but it’s not overwhelming – just a nice warm tingle on the tongue.
An ear or two of fresh corn kernels (or frozen) added at the end of cooking, round out this savory, mildly spiced stew. The flavors in this pot are pure comfort and so are the aromas! Our house was filled with its inviting bouquet — you know, the kind that signals your stomach that something really good is coming…
I like a little diced avocado, juicy ripe tomato and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro leaves on top of my stew, but it’s optional. I recommend serving with cornbread or that heavenly Hatch Green Chili Bread, to sop up all the savory goodness.
More tex mex recipes:
- Tex Mex Chile Rellenos
- Easy Shredded Beef for Tacos and more
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Steak Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing
- Black Bean Chili Omelette
Tex-Mex Braised Pork Stew
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder Boston Butt, cubed into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion halved and sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 15- ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 cup roasted peeled and seeded hatch chilies, diced or one cup of canned mild-medium green chilies
- 1 cup corn off the cob or frozen corn
For garnish
- tomatoes diced, fresh
- avocado diced
- fresh cilantro leaves
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 325°.
- In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned. Add the garlic and onions, stir into the pork, cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes until tender. Add the cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, pepper, chicken broth, black beans and chilies. Stir to combine, cover tightly with lid and place in the oven.
- Cook for 2 1/2-3 hours until pork is tender. Stir in the corn and serve in bowls with tomatoes, avocado and cilantro to garnish.
I was looking for an alternative to my usual carnitas recipe for my Costco pork butt and found this recipe and this site. 5 out of 5 stars on both, everyone in the family loved it. You have a ton of great recipes on here, looking forward to trying as many as I can.
This was delicious, thank you! Next time I will remove more of the fat from the pork before cooking to avoid mouthfuls of fat. I made it into tacos, yum!
Yes, pork can be fatty, I trim depending on the dish. Tacos are a great idea for this! Glad you enjoyed.
Oh my this has all of my favorite ingredients! I too, love using pork shoulder or butt in soups and stews! Especially for braising or slow cooking! Nicely done! Thanks for sharing!
This looks great for the approaching weekend. Would love to give this a try.
This recipe looks great – thanks so much for sharing! I also checked out your cornbread recipe…wow all your recipes look delicious!
Thank you Bri – I try!
This looks utterly amazing. I love stew, this one is seriously hearty. Love it.
Thanks, Kim!
Great tips and love this recipe! I can smell it from over here:)
So glad you like it!
Oh yes this looks so appetising, love your dutch oven too – I have a few and they are so great for dishes like this. I wonder if this would also work in a slow cooker ( crock pot ) ? x
Absolutely – crock pots are awesome for this kind of thing!
This looks so good!! And the plated photos w. the fresh tomatoes and avocado… mouthwatering!
Thanks, Natasha! Hard to make brown food look good!
Your photos are gorgeous! I can’t imagine it was easy to make stew pretty. And I’m a little jealous of that enameled cast iron Dutch oven.. I haven’t bought one yet because wow they’re pricey!
This looks simple and tasty!! I love how easy stews are.
Thank you very much Sarah — you’re right, it’s not easy to make brown food appealing — garnishes help! I have two dutch ovens – both I got on sale, because they can be expensive, but I use mine at least once or twice a week so for me, it was definitely worth the splurge!
That’s one beautiful pot of stew. It would be the perfect comfort food for today’s dreary weather!
Yes, this is great for dreary weather — in fact we were having MAJOR THUNDERSTORMS when I made this batch!
Wow my husband would love those flavors! I bet the green chillies give it an amazing spicy flavor!
Hatch chilies can be spicy or mild – really depends. Usually we end up somewhere in between!
Omg I LOVE stews! This one is already making my mouth water, looks super delicious!
I’m so glad you like it — I must say, it’s really tasty!
Ooh those green chillies sound really interesting! I don’t think we can get those in the UK but I will definitely keep my eyes peeled!
Becca, you can use any other green chili — if they’re mild, spice it up a bit with cayenne.