I can't say as I've ever cooked a Michael Symon recipe before, but after trying this one I'm ready to go out and search for some more. I've never dined in any of Michael's restaurants, but have enjoyed his approach to food, his sense of humor, and the mad skills he's exhibited competing on shows like Iron Chef. I recently came across this recipe in Food & Wine magazine, and when I read in the accompanying article that Michael considers himself a "porketarian", I knew I had to try it.
If you aren't a fan of pork then you might as well move along because this dish has fully SIX pounds of the good stuff in it. This is obviously not a "light" take on chili, this is a hearty dish that makes no excuses for it's pork-centric goodness. It is not a super-spicy chili, in fact I think it's the first chili I've ever made that didn't in fact include chili powder.
Rather than use powdered heat, Symon infuses this chili with big flavor by using canned chipotles, fresh jalapenos, pimenton, coriander, and cumin……oh yeah, and 6 pounds of fat laced pork! This is the real deal and feeds a rather large crowd. Go break out a big pot, stock up on some pig and whip yourself up a batch of this rich, hearty stew, you're going to LOVE it!
Cheers – Steve
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (pimenton)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 5 pounds, cleaned, trimmed pork shoulder cut into 2 inch chunks
- 6 tablespoons EVOO
- 1 pound slab bacon cut into lardons
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and very finely chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, finely diced
- 1 - 12 ounce bottle Porter or Amber Ale
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups canned whole Italian tomatoes, crushed
- 2 canned chipotles in adobo, seeded and minced
- 1 pound black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- shredded smoked cheddar, fresh cilantro, and crème fraiche or sour cream for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the coriander, paprika and cumin and toss with the pork to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a large dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add 1/3 of the pork and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate, add another 2 tablespoons of oil and repeat the process twice with 2 more batches of pork. Transfer all the pork to a plate.
- Add the bacon to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until browned and lightly crisp, about 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, jalapenos, and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Return the pork to the pot along with any accumulated juices from the plate. Add the ale, chicken stock, tomatoes, chipotles, black-eyed peas, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until the meat and beans are tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Season the chili with salt and pepper. Spoon fat from the surface and discard the cinnamon stick.
- Serve the chili in bowls. Pass the smoked cheddar, cilantro and crème fraiche at the table.