Green Chile Stew
- 3 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- 2 cups big jim new mexico green chiles roasted, peeled, and deseeded
- 2 cups sandia new mexico green chiles roasted, peeled, and deseeded
- 4 pounds pork lean, cut into cubes
- 6 tablespoons olive oil light, refined for frying
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 large onion diced
- 8 clove garlic minced
- 2 can (15 oz) beef stock
- 1 large potato peeled, minced
- Carbohydrate 15.0736433334626 g
- Cholesterol 121.56275516 mg
- Fat 29.3137268935351 g
- Fiber 1.79800836997827 g
- Protein 36.2942331460035 g
- Saturated Fat 9.90042177118658 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (350g)
- Sodium 107.216588068736 mg
- Sugar 13.2756349634843 g
- Trans Fat 2.80053649189018 g
- Calories 481 calories
Step-by-step
- In two batches, brown the pork cubes in 2/3 of the oil.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine and place the pork in the cooking pot of a slow cooker.
- Brown the onions over high heat in last the 1/3 oil, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic in last few minutes of frying.
- Deglaze the pan with some of the water.
- Add all the ingredients, except flour and salt to the cooking pot and bring almost to a boil (180 deg F).
- Simmer for 4 hours.
- Mix flour in a little cold water and stir into stew.
- Simmer for another hour.
- Add salt and let cool.
- Refrigerate.
- Reheat and serve.
Unlike tomato-heavy Mexican chili variations, this southwestern preparation relies entirely on roasted peppers and rendered pork fat for its rich body. Brown four pounds of cubed meat in two distinct batches using a wide Dutch oven rather than crowding the surface, ensuring the Maillard reaction creates deep savory crusts rather than grey, steamed protein. Deglazing those browned fond bits with white wine releases alcohol-soluble flavor compounds trapped on the metal. Combining Big Jim chiles with hotter Sandia peppers builds a nuanced capsaicin profile that mellows during extended simmering.
Thermal Extraction and Thickening Dynamics
Maintaining the slow cooker at 180 degrees Fahrenheit provides the precise thermal window needed to break down tough collagen within lean pork cuts into unctuous gelatin without seizing the muscle fibers. Raw starches from the minced potato dissolve naturally into the broth over four hours, functioning alongside a final cold-water flour slurry to bridge water and fat molecules. Whisking that flour slurry vigorously prevents unsightly lumps from forming when it hits the hot liquid matrix.Make-Ahead Structural Behavior
Cooling this preparation completely before refrigeration allows suspended fats to solidify and surface for easy skimming if desired, though leaving them intact preserves mouthfeel. Storing the pot overnight lets complex aromatic molecules from the garlic and oregano fully bond with the pork proteins. Reheating requires medium heat on a stovetop burner until the center reaches a food-safe 165 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring frequently because starches settle at the base.
