Pork Choice for Chile Chili Verde

[Shel_B]

I've made a couple of batches of my chile verde this month, and, in fact, the third batch is in the oven at this moment.

 

The issue I have is pork, or, rather, choosing the right pork.  The last batch I made used pork shoulder from a heritage breed, and, eventually, it was delicious.  However, the shoulder was loaded with fat and had areas with great swaths of fat running through the meat.  I paid a high price for this meat compared to a leaner, more typical supermarket piece.  I don't mind the cost per pound, but the waste was extreme (IMO).  I lost almost 20% of the weight just by trimming the excess fat.  In addition, the heritage pork had a lot more fat running through the muscle compared to the more common commercial pork.  While fat adds flavor, the result was pretty greasy, requiring a lot of time to eliminate the congealed fat after refrigerating the stew.  Even with the fat removed, the stew was a little greasier than I'd have liked.

 

In this batch I added some leaner, commercial pork to the heritage pork shoulder, just to have a point of comparison, and, by comparison, the commercial pork lacks flavor and tenderness, but it doesn't add excessive fat, nor to I have to trim away a lot of fat. It's certainly more cost effective, but not necessarily flavor effective.

 

So, what's my option?  My thought is to use a cut other than shoulder from a heritage hog, maybe the loin, which should, I guess, be leaner and lose less to trimming.  Does that seem like a reasonable solution?  Since I'd be using heritage pork, free range, organic, yada yada, I'd imagine that it would contain sufficient fat.  Are there certain breeds that are less fatty but which will still be more flavorful than the commercial cardboard that's so readily available?

 

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Darienne]

This is just my personal opinion.  Not that of an experienced cook.  I would not use loin. 

 

Butt or shoulder.  That's it. (for me.)

[Dave W]

This is just my personal opinion. Not that of an experienced cook. I would not use loin.

Butt or shoulder. That's it. (for me.)

Me too. The unctuous ness you get from the butt or shoulder is irreplaceable.

Maybe you could use ribs but then you've got the matter of picking your stew for bones and meat before you eat it.

Much of the fat is easily removed from the top of the stew once you refrigerate it.

If it really bothers you you could pre render the shoulder, and much of your extra fat will melt out. I often make green chili stew with previously cooked BBQ pulled pork shoulder. An added benefit beyond fat removal is that the stew is cooked in about an hour instead of over three hours.

[MSRadell]

The loin would probably be a little less fatty than what you used but, the point of buying here to pork is to get the fat marbling in the meat! The commercially raised pork today has been bred to reduce the amount of fat in the meat to help its image of "The Other White Meat". There are trade-offs  no matter which option you use.

Edited January 30, 2015 by MSRadell (log)

[Shel_B]

The loin would probably be a little less fatty than what you used but, the point of buying here to pork is to get the fat marbling in the meat! The commercially raised pork today has been bred to reduce the amount of fat in the meat to help its image of "The Other White Meat". There are trade-offs  no matter which option you use.

 

I was thinking of heritage loin, which would probably have better fat content and marbling than commercial pork, and less waste than the heritage shoulder I've been using.  I agree with Dave that the "unctuousness" of the shoulder is much to be desired.

 

[...] you could pre render the shoulder, and much of your extra fat will melt out. I often make green chili stew with previously cooked BBQ pulled pork shoulder. An added benefit beyond fat removal is that the stew is cooked in about an hour instead of over three hours.

 

Hmmm ... that idea is intriguing.  I'll look into the best way to do that, and if it makes sense to do it.  There's still the issue of so much expensive waste, but that's really a secondary concern. 

[Dave W]

Well Id think all that nicely rendered pork fat that escapes would go great in a pie crust if it's not too aggressively seasoned.

[Lisa Shock]

I've made chile with pork shoulder that was smoked then cooked in the oven low and slow. I think the precooked meat has a more concentrated, distinct flavor and I make the chile itself with celery stock so the liquid has contrasting flavor.

[Shel_B]

I've made chile with pork shoulder that was smoked then cooked in the oven low and slow. I think the precooked meat has a more concentrated, distinct flavor and I make the chile itself with celery stock so the liquid has contrasting flavor.

 

I like the idea of smoking and then cooked in the oven.  That should help render the fat from the meat, add some flavor, and still allow additional cooking in the more traditional manner.  Something to think about.  Thanks!

[andiesenji]

Essentially I start out with the same process as when I prepare carnitas.

I braise pork butt or shoulder or fresh leg of pork (aka fresh ham) so much of the fat renders out and that is set aside for other uses - for me it is never a waste.  I cook it bone in as in my opinion the bone adds flavor to the meat.

 

I have made chile verde stew with wild boar or javelina (given to me by my Mexican neighbors) that required extended braising to reach the desired degree of tenderness - but it had exceptional flavor.

 

The cooked pork is then added to the green sauce and the two are "stewed" long enough for everything to heat through and the flavors to "meld" and this is to taste.  When it tastes right to you, it is done.  And in fact, I believe that holding it over to the next day and reheating greatly improves the flavor.

 

This is a photo of the cooked meat from the hind leg of a wild boar.  Definitely not "the other white meat"

 

Edited January 31, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[Lisa Shock]

I should point out here that I like my green chile stew to be full of contrasts, so, I don't cook it as long as some people and I tend to add things, like fresh corn kernels -I like how they pop sweetly in your mouth, at the very end right before serving. If I am making the vegan version, I cook beans separately in water with cumin, and potatoes (Sangre reds)in a separate pot with a little vinegar. Everything is cooked to have its own concentrated flavor, then sauce is added and heated through. But, this is my personal taste and does not reflect common practice.