Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Pork and Chorizo Chili


Ladies and gentlemen, the first chili of the season!  While I'm really not a fan of cold weather, I do love soups, stews, and chili.  I also love chorizo, hominy, and any Mexican-style food.  Ironically, the day I made this the high topped out at over 85 degrees, so it wasn't chili or soup weather at all.  But I needed to use the pork tenderloin that day, and this recipe just sounded too good to put off.

The nice thing about this chili recipe is that you don't have to cook the pork tenderloin as I've directed here.  I think pulled pork, rotisserie chicken, or leftover pork loin would all work really well here.  And while I'm a firm believer that chili has beans in it, they actually aren't included here.  But in the future I'll add black beans.  I just didn't happen to have any on hand, and it didn't occur to me until I was already elbow deep in food prep (don't you hate it when that happens?).

Now depending on what part of the country you are from, you may or may not have ever heard of hominy.  It is just corn that's been treated with lime.  I don't really know how to describe the flavor, but its a totally different texture than corn, and totally delicious.  We used to have it as a side dish a lot growing up, and I get really nostalgic when I see it in recipes.  I love, love, love hominy!

Be forewarned, this chili is pretty spicy.  Between the chipotle chile, extra adobo sauce, and the chorizo, there is a nice kick.  I served this with a little Greek yogurt (sour cream also works) to mellow it out a bit, and a squirt of lime to brighten it up.  I really wanted to make some chile-cheese yeast rolls as an accompaniment, but time didn't permit.  Cornbread would be another natural pairing, but we kept it simple with some tortilla chips on the side.  Overall, this is a really great recipe to have in the rotation, and I think its going to be my entry into our neighborhood chili cook-off this year!

One Year Ago:  Roasted Potato-Leek Soup


Mexican Style Pork and Chorizo Chili
adapted from Cook's Illustrated, The Best Make Ahead Recipe
serves 4


Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 pork tenderloin, timmed of silver skin
  • 1/2 Tbs vegetable oil
Pork and Chorizo Chili
  • 8 oz chorizo, casings removed
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • kosher salt
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
  • 1 tsp adobo sauce (from canned chipotles)
  • 3 Tbs all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (15-ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 Tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tsp minced fresh oregano leaves
  • 1 recipe spiced pork tenderloin, cut into medium dice
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
For the pork tenderloin, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a small bowl, mix the cumin, pepper, cocoa powder, allspice, and salt together.  Pat the pork dry with paper towels and thoroughly rub with the spice mixture.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking.  Brown the tenderloin on all sides, about 6 minutes.  Reduce the heat of the fat begins to smoke.  Transfer to a baking sheet.

Roast in the oven until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees, about 15-18 minutes.  Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board.  Tent with foil and allow to rest until the temperature reaches 150 degrees, about 10 minutes.  Cut into 1-inch cubes.

For the chili, crumble the chorizo into a large saucepan or dutch oven and cook over high heat.  Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and beginning to render some fat, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, or until softened.  Stir in the garlic, chipotle, and adobo sauce, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the flour and stir until incorporated.

Add the chicken broth, hominy, black beans, tomatoes, sugar, and oregano and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer at least 20 minutes.  Stir in the pork and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.


8 comments:

the blissful baker said...

this looks hearty and delicious! i bet it would make my whole apartment smell wonderful!

Erin said...

This looks delicious! My husband is so picky about soups, but this is one I know he will love!

Eliana said...

I'm not a fan of chilly temps either but if it means I can enjoy comforting meals like this chili then bring it on! This looks amazing.

Kelsey said...

Oh man...this has me written all over it. I most definitely HAVE to make this!

watercolormom said...

Really? Is this healthy? I can't wait to try it!

life and lisa said...

found this on tastespotting! great recipe, my fam loved it.

Stephanie Post said...

Has anyone tried a version of this in the crock pot? I'm cooking for a crew tonight and I'd love to have it just simmering before they get here. Thoughts?

Josie said...

Hi Stephanie, I've never tried to cook it in the crockpot... if I were, i would probably just sear the pork tenderloin and cook it the rest of the way in the crock pot instead of finishing it in the oven. then I'd shred or chop it just before serving. If you just wanted to keep it warm in the crock pot, then that would definitely work too. Hope you enjoy!

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