New Mexican Pork & Green Chili Stew

New Mexican green chile stew is the state dish in every kitchen south of Santa Fe, and the whole identity of this stew lives in one ingredient: roasted green chiles. Use fresh-roasted Hatch chiles if you can find them, especially during their late-summer harvest, because the smoky-sweet depth they bring is nothing like canned or frozen alternatives. Five pounds sounds like a lot, but the chile is doing the heavy flavor work, not the pork.

Building the base starts with onions and garlic cooked in oil until they sweeten and soften. Then the pork shoulder joins, cubed and unseared. This stew does not want a browned crust. You want the meat to poach tender in the chile-water broth, releasing collagen slowly for that gelatin-rich body. The long uncovered simmer concentrates flavors while potatoes thicken the liquid from the inside out.

Chef Tips

• Peel, seed, and roughly chop roasted green chiles before adding. The seeds carry bitter heat and blistered skins turn the broth papery.
• Cut pork into generous 1-inch cubes. Smaller pieces overcook into dry threads. Larger stays toothsome through the long simmer.
• Add potatoes in the last 45 minutes of cooking. Added too early they disintegrate. Too late and they stay raw.
• Skim fat from the surface before serving. The pork shoulder throws off plenty and a lighter broth tastes cleaner.

Variations

• Stir in a can of white hominy for a posole-style stew.
• Add ground cumin and Mexican oregano for a more pronounced Southwestern herb profile.
• Top servings with crumbled queso fresco, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime for a bright fresh finish.