For those of you Texans who have had the pleasure of dining at Roaring Fork. There is no doubt that you have had a steaming individual cauldron of green chili pork stew with melty cheese and buttered tortillas. I didn’t know buttered tortillas were a thing, but I promise you, they are essential.

Creature of Habit

This dish is now the only thing I can order whenever I go to Austin. Typically with a side of green chili mac since I can’t help myself. While there are many other incredible things on the menu, there is something truly special about the green chili pork stew. As fate would have it, I ended up moving to the home of the namesake of this amazing restaurant – the Roaring Fork River and have been trying to emulate this recipe ever since. To be honest, I tried a few times in Houston just because I missed it.

The Secret is Out

Another recipe I’ll be sharing soon is our pulled pork. After moving into our house, we received a Traeger smoker as a housewarming gift and it has become one of our most beloved items. I truly believe if the house caught fire the traeger would be the first thing my husband tried to save after our girls and pup. I think this is the start of the secret to our perfect green chili pork stew. Admittedly, I fell into this recipe by trying to figure out what to do with several pounds of leftover pulled pork that I didn’t want to put on another BBQ sandwich. Enter, stew as one of my favorite ways to use pulled pork. I would even (and have) made pulled pork just as an excuse to make this stew.

My other secret, a jar of 505 green chilis. While I love good food and to cook (sometimes), I hate prep and I am scrapped for time. This includes the lack of time to fire roast and peel my own green chilis. I’ll also note that in several recipes I’ve found online claiming to have the secret to Roaring Fork’s stew that they use green chili POWDER. This seems blasphemous to me, which led me to the search for the best alternative. I promise you this brand does not disappoint. The flavor is perfect, the consistency is exactly as if you roasted and chopped your own, and best of all…. No powder. Not sponsored, just a perfect product.

Outside of that, everything else is as simple and tossing it in the slow cooker and letting it work it’s magic. Small clarification, your slow cooker matters. I’m obsessed with our All-Clad slow cooker which browns AND slow cooks in the same pot. Not only does this make my life easier, but it also reduces the amount of dishes you have to do! If you know me, you know one thing, I hate cleaning. I wish I was one of those people who were OCD about cleaning, but I’m not.

I’ll also note that any recipe that calls for jalapenos, I take the seeds out. We are spice sissys in this family, and can’t handle the seeds. Obviously, if you are not on that spectrum, go wild.

Texas Tundra

I can’t help but think of my family and friends right now in Texas as they navigate a truly historical cold front and the hardships that are coming with it. As I look out of my sunny window at no snow, I think on the pictures from friends and family in Austin where their neighbors are literally SKIING down the street, and battling no power, water and many with busted pipes. It feels backwards to say the least. Texas is not built for tundra. It can handle many things, but an arctic blast is out of the realm. When my husband and I look at the forecast and see chilly weather ahead, this is what we plan for to see us through some indoor, blanket days.

(The Best Ever) Roaring Fork’s Green Chili Pork Stew Recipe

• 2 lbs pulled pork, shredded or diced (see Note 1)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (2 if you are feeling wild)
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 2 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 oz Fire Roasted Green Chiles (Favorite: 505 Southwestern)
• 2 TB ground cumin
• 2 TB ground coriander
• 2 TB onion powder
• 1 TB garlic powder
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 – 4 cups chicken stock or enough to cover the pork and veggie mixture
• 2 TB olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Shredded monterey jack cheese
• flour tortillas

Instructions:

Note 1: If you don’t have pulled pork on hand, dice up 2 pounds of pork shoulder. Season liberally with half of the spice mixture, and set your slow cooker to “BROWN” or turn a skillet onto med high heat. Brown all sides of the pork roughly 2-3 min per side. Once brown, remove to rest on a plate and wait for Step 2.

1. With your slow cooker set to brown, toss in the onion, jalapeno, and poblano to saute until softened in 2 TB of olive oil. If you don’t have a slow cooker with this setting, just use a skillet for the same effect then transfer into slow cooker.
2. Once softened, turn slow cooker to “SLOW low” and toss in garlic for 1 min, then the jar of green chiles and the pork.
3. After a quick toss, add in the spices and the flour and stir to evenly coat.
4. Once coated, pour in the chicken stock to cover the mixture completely. You can adjust depending on how stewy vs. soupy you prefer your outcome to be. I like it to be on the stewy side.
5. Let cook on the low temperature setting for 4-8 hours. Everything is already cooked, you’re just looking for a perfect blend of flavors and thickening of the sauce. I’ve pulled this both after 4 and 8 hrs with excellent results. Just watch the liquid level if going to 8.
6. Serve with buttered tortillas or over rice/quinoa with plenty of monterrey jack cheese.