Pulled Pork Chili

PULLED PORK CHILI

It's best to make this sumptuous chili over two days. The first day, make the pulled pork and put it in the refrigerator with the sauce you cooked it in. The next day you can easily remove the solidified fat on the sauce. The sauce gets added to the pot when you start simmering the chili. Preparation time: 35 minutes, plus chilling time Cooking time: About 3 hours, 40 minutes Makes: 10 servings


For the pork
1 cup regular barbecue sauce
1 cup beer or chicken stock (I used beer)
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2½ lb. boneless pork shoulder (butt) roast (mine had a bone, but no matter)
2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil


Preheat the oven to 325 F. Combine the barbecue sauce, beer or stock, brown sugar and vinegar in a medium bowl. Combine chili powder, cumin and salt on a wide plate. Set the roast on the plate and deeply rub with the spice mixture.
Heat the oil in an ovenproof pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high. Add the pork and sear on all sides. Drain away excess fat, then pour in barbecue sauce mixture and bring to a simmer.

Cover and cook pork in the oven three hours, or until falling-apart tender. I used a slow cooker for 10 hours (overnight) on low. Remove the pork from the sauce, set in a bowl and cool until safe enough to handle. Pull the pork into shreds with two forks. Cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate until needed. Pour the sauce in the pot into a container, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate a few hours or overnight to solidify the fat on the surface. Remove fat from the surface of the sauce and keep sauce refrigerated until needed. 


For the chili


2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced (see Note)
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (19 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed in cold water, and drained again
1 (19 oz.) can white kidney beans, drained, rinsed in cold water, and drained again
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 tsp Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce, or to taste (my version could have been spicier)
- salt to taste
- toppings to taste, such as grated cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro or green onion, and sour cream
- tortilla chips for dunking (optional)


Place the oil in a large pot set over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook three to four minutes. Mix in the diced and crushed tomatoes, beans, corn and Tabasco sauce.
Mix in the reserved barbecue sauce mixture and pulled pork. Bring chili to a gentle simmer, adjusting the heat until this is achieved. Simmer chili, uncovered, until thick and bubbly, about 45 minutes. (Chili could be made ahead, cooled to room temperature, refrigerated and reheated when needed.) Taste the chili and season, if needed, with salt. Serve bowls of the chili with your desired toppings. If desired, served the chili with tortilla chips for dunking.


Mum's comments:


I had high hopes for this recipe and it did not disappoint! One of the best things I've ever made. This article came from the Star Phoenix and was about food for NHL playoffs. I'd say this recipe would feed an entire NHL team. I did the pork roast in the slow cooker overnight for 10 hours and it fell apart. In the morning I shredded the meat, strained the barbecue sauce into a bowl and refrigerated both until it was time to put everything together. If there is one thing I would add, it would perhaps be some hot pepper flakes, or maybe add some jalapeno peppers because it could have been spicier.  It was served with french bread and a green salad. Aside from the fact that it could have had more heat, it was totally amazing!