My Colorado Green Chile Recipe

As a long-haired white kid from the 'burbs, it's been a bit tough tracking down a quality green chile recipe. After asking my small number of Latino friends for a recipe and being greeted with everything from simply, "green chiles, water & pork" to "family secret, sorry" I began to search for a perfect recipe that would satiate my taste for this spicy Colorado staple.

I had hoped it would simply be a matter of trying a couple candidates off of All Recipes. After searching for a bit with very little luck, I stumbled upon this  Thread over at Chowhound that effectively explores and explains the unique dish that is Colorado green chile. I was unaware of many regional differences in chile that are pointed out in the discussion. After perusing it a number of times I attempted to follow the advice of the user gordeaux and came out with a pretty decent representation of the chile I've come to love in Colorado. 

The first go around I used the entire cut of pork I had and ended up with a chile that was too chunky for my tastes although very tasty. The recipe below has been refined accordingly and I hope it will be helpful to anyone looking for a place to start with their own green chile. I like it quite spicy, but this can be toned down by omitting the habanero pepper and using mild green chiles. 

1 Tbs. Bacon Fat

1 lb Pork Shoulder or Loin, either cubed or cut into manageable pieces to be shredded after cooking

5 Cloves Garlic

1.5 - 3 Onions, chopped

1 Habanero pepper, chopped

Olive Oil

2 Tbs. Flour

1 Tsp. Cumin

1 Tsp. Ancho Powder

1 Chicken Bullion cube

30 oz. package frozen hatch green chiles, hot

2-3 C. Water

Pinch or two of Corn Starch

Salt

Lime juice

1. In a dutch oven, brown the pork in bacon fat with 1 clove garlic, crushed. As it will be stewing for at least 3 hours, the pork doesn't need to be completely cooked, just browned enough to release the flavor. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same dutch oven over low heat, sweat the chopped onions and the habanero until limp.
3. Add in flour, cumin, ancho powder, chicken bullion cube. Now add as much olive oil as necessary to produce a loose paste. Let cook over low until the smell of the spices becomes pronounced.
4. Add in remaining 4 cloves garlic, green chiles, and water. Bring to a simmer.
5. Puree the above in a blender, possibly adding cilantro, until it is your preferred consistency.  Return to pot.
6. Add pork and cook over low heat for 3 or more hours until the desired tenderness of pork is achieved. Add corn starch as needed to thicken as desired. I didn't see the need to make a slurry with water before adding, but you can if it makes you comfortable.
7. If desired, remove pork after thoroughly cooked and shred it with two forks before returning it to the pot.
8. Season to taste with salt and lime juice at the end of cooking. 1-2 tsp. of each works well for me, but most people seem to prefer saltier.