THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT SOUTH

I decided to make some Chile Verde to make this Memorial Day feel like a holiday, instead of blending in with every other day. My wife requested Chile Verde, and my brother has been asking me to post the recipe for a while now.... so here it is! (I have to confess, this recipe is not my own, but it sure is darn tasty!)

First things first... Put two big handfuls of hickory chips in a bowl of water to start soaking.

Start with a 5 pound pork shoulder. Give it a little massage with: 1 Tbs Kosher Salt, 2 tsp Pure Chile Powder, 2 tsp Oregano, 1 tsp Granulated Garlic, and 1 tsp Cumin, then wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes or so on the counter. This would be a good time to get about 30 coals lit in your barbecue.

Once the coals are hot, move half of them over to the opposite side of the barbecue, and place a pan of warm water between them. We're going for even, moist heat, and this should do the trick. If the coals are looking a little meager, add 4 or 5 per side. 

Drain the wood chips and put them on the two piles of coals. You don't want to spread them all out, which can lead to flames and bitter soot. Instead, place the chips in little concentrated piles so that they will smolder. Quickly add the pork over the water pan, and close the lid. I leave the top and bottom vents halfway open, which keeps my barbecue right around the 350F range...

Don't touch anything for 30 minutes. Don't open the lid. Don't even peek. This is a good time to make the sauce....

Puree 8 Tomatillos, 1 (7 oz) can Green Chiles, 4 Cloves Garlic, 1 small Onion, 2 tsp Oregano, 3/4 cup Dark Beer (Like Modelo Negro or Bohemia), and a fresh chile, depending on the heat you're looking for. I used half a Serrano, which seems like a good compromise if you have folks who don't like things too spicy. Pour this mixture into a foil pan, then you can go ahead and crack open the barbecue. 

This is what you should see....

Resist the urge to stand there and admire your creation. To avoid losing all your heat, you need to work quickly. Plop the pork into the pan of sauce, cover it with foil, add a few coals to each pile, and slam the lid back on as quickly as possible. Come back in an hour, rotate the pan 180 degrees, add some coals, and leave for another hour. Continue this process until the pork hits 190 F in the center... It should take 2-3 hours if you've got the temperature right.

Crack open the foil, and squeal with delight if no one else is around to laugh at you. 

At this point, you should remove any hunks of fat and gristle, and shred the pork into good sized chunks.  Drain as much fat as you can off the sauce, and put everything together in a pot. Simmer the concoction down a little bit, add 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, and add salt and chipotle tabasco sauce to taste. We like this dish best served over white rice with sour cream, chipotle tabasco, and limes. But its pretty good on a fork, too....