Chimichurri Pork Chili #SoupSwappers

Here we are at the July Soup Saturday Swappers event. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm started this event and, every month, I get a new array of soup recipes to put in my to-try pile. And this month, Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories is hosting as we explore chilis.

Karen writes, "July is Chili Cook-off time. Make your award winning chili! No rules, as long as it can be classified as chili. In many areas, we hold our annual summer community get togethers with a chili cook-off. In my town, many of the community groups, such as the high school boosters, the youth sports leagues, many of the real estate firms, and various chamber of commerce groups compete for the "People's Choice" award in the chili cook-off circuit. There's a 5K, a 10K, as well as a crafts fair. Never mind the weather, because there's lots of beer!"

Here's the line-up of chili recipes from the #SoupSwappers...

• Chimichurri Pork Chili from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Slow Cooker Black Bean Chili from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Summer Veggie Chili from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Tomato-Free Ground Chicken and Red Lentil Chili from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Vegetable Chilli Garlic Soup from Sneha's Recipe

Chimichurri Pork Chili

When I first saw the event post, I wondered what would really qualify as a chili. According to Webster, it's this...

chili noun

\ ˈchi-lē  \

variants: or less commonly chile or chiefly British chilli

plural chilies also chiles or chilis or chiefly British chillies

Definition of chili (Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a hot pepper of any of a group of cultivars (Capsicum annuum annuum group longum) noted for their pungency

— called also chili pepper

b chiefly British chilli : a pepper whether hot or sweet

2a : a thick sauce of meat and chilies

liked to cover her spaghetti with red chili

b : CHILI CON CARNE

a bowl of chili

also : a similar dish made without beef

vegetarian chili

seafood chili

So, "a thick sauce of meat and chilies" is a pretty broad category. I decided to go with something a little different than my Chili al Diavolo.

Ingredients

• 1 T butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 pounds pork (I used boneless ribs)
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 C organic white onion, diced
• 1 t cumin seeds, toasted until fragrant and coarsely ground
• 1 t coriander seeds, toasted until fragrant and coarsely ground
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 t dried rosemary
• 1 to 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 C chimichurri (recipe below)
• 1 can green chiles (use more if you like) with liquid
• 2 C stock* 
• 1 C wine (I used white wine)
• hot sauce, optional
• cooked couscous, rice, or potatoes for serving

Spicy Chimichurri

• 1 C fresh parsley
• 1/2 to 3/4 C olive oil
• 1/4 C vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar, but I have used red wine vinegar in the past)
• 1 T fresh oregano, minced
• 2 T fresh cilantro
• 1 t red pepper flakes
• 1 to 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T hot sauce
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper

*You really just need 3 cups of liquid. You can use any combination of stock, water, and wine that you wish.

Procedure

Spicy Chimichurri
Place all of the ingredient in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until desired texture. If it's too thick, add more oil and more vinegar. If it's too thin, add more herbs. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. If you like more heat, add more hot sauce.

Pork
Place toasted cumin seeds, coriander seeds, dried oregano and dried rosemary in a mixing bowl. Roll the pork pieces in the spice mixture, coating all sides as much as possible. Rub the spices in and set aside.

Melt butter in olive oil in a Dutch oven or other pot with a tight fitting lid. Add pork and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown meat on all sides, approximately 1 to 2 minutes per side. The more you let it brown, the better the flavor!

Add onions, parsley, cilantro, green chiles, bay leaves, and chimichurri to the pot. Pour in the stock/water/wine mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then cover and reduce heat to a simmer.

Let the meat braise for 90 to 120 minutes; I usually go the full two hours. The pork should be tender and easy to break apart. Break the meat into chunks.

Remove the pork and boil the remaining cooking liquid until reduced by half. Return the pork chunks to the pot and stir to coat completely. Season to taste with hot sauce, if desired.

Serve over cooked couscous, rice, or potatoes. I served this batch over smashed potatoes.