Chef's Table

Puerco con Verdolaga

Puerco con Verdolaga is a delicious Mexican style pork stew, braised in a malt forward Double Barrel Ale, mixed with a salsa verde, fresh greens and served with flour tortillas.

CourseComfort, Soup | Stew
CuisineBeer Cuisine, Comfort, Mexican
Cooking Beer StyleEnglish Pale Ale
Pairing Beer StyleChile Beer, Märzen | Oktoberfest, Schwartzbier, Vienna Lager, Weizenbock
SeasonalFall Seasonal, Spring Seasonal, Summer Seasonal, Winter Seasonal, Year Around Seasonal
ProductNor Cal Mole | Eat Beer Hot Sauce
Food SectionAvocado, Garlic, Onions, Pork, Soup
Cooking MethodBraising, Cooking with Beer
BreweryBeer Advocate, Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
KeywordCooking with Beer

Servings	Prep Time
6 – 8serving	10minute

Cook Time

1 1/2hour

Servings	Prep Time
6 – 8serving	10minute

Cook Time

1 1/2hour

Ingredients

Pork Stew Ingredients:

2pound pork shoulder,cut into 1 inch cubes
2teaspoon salt, kosher
2teaspoon hot sauce,such as Eat Beer Hot Sauce | Nor Cal Mole</, or your favorite style | brand
1/4cup lard | rendered fat | oil
1each onion, yellow, large,peeled and sliced
8each garlic, clovespeeled and sliced
3 – 4each avocado leaves, driedavailabe at most Hispanic markets
22ounce British Pale Ale,such as Firestone Waller Brewing Co. Double Barrel Ale (DBA)
4 – 5cup waterenough to cover the pork by an inch

Salsa Verde Ingredients:

1pound tomatillassoaked in water, peeled
1each onion, yellow, large,peeled and quartered
8each garlic, clovespeeled
2 – 4each chilies, jalapeño,washed, stems removed, amount depending on desired heat level
1each pepper, pasilla | poblano,stem removed, seeded and sliced
2tablespoon oregano, Mexican, fresh, or 1 tablespoon dried
1teaspoon salt, kosher

Greens Ingredients:

1bunch Swiss chard,green, red or rainbow; stems removed and sliced thin, leaves chopped,
1/2bunch cilantro, freshwashed and stems removed, leaving the leaves only
1/2pound spinach, baby,washed
12each tortillas, flour,warmed
1each avocado, large, ripe,peeled, pit removed and sliced; for garnish

Instructions

Pork Stew Directions:

Place the cubed pork stew meat into a bowl; toss with the salt and hot sauce and let sit for 5 – 10 minutes to marinate. Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the lard or oil. Brown the pork on all sides, being careful not to crowd the meat (split in batches if necessary), cooking about 6 – 8 minutes. Add the prepared onion, garlic and avocado leaves, mixing into the fat and sautéing the vegetables for 2 – 3 minutes.
Deglaze with the English Pale Ale, then add the remaining water. Bring the mixture to a boil and turn the heat to low, letting the meat simmer until tender, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Alternatively, the pot can be placed into a 300°F | 149°C preheated oven, uncovered, allowing the meat to braise and become tender. While the pork is cooking, prepare the greens and make the salsa verde.

Salsa Verde Ingredients:

Begin the salsa verde by soaking the tomatillos in a bowl filled with water for about 10 minutes. This will help loosen the husk/skin and wash off any sticky residue coating the skin of the fruit. Peel the husks off (discarding)
Add the prepared tomatillos to a medium-size pot. Add the peeled and quartered onion, garlic cloves, jalapeño peppers (more or less, depending on the heat level of the peppers and your tolerance for spice. The seeds and ribs can be removed from the inside of the chili peppers to decrease the heat level), pasilla or poblano pepper, oregano and salt, and cover with the water. Place the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes. The salsa is done when the tomatillos are tender. Remove the salsa from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer the mixture to a blender and purée until smooth. Set aside.

To Finish the Dish:

Once the pork is tender but still holds its shape, add the salsa verde mixture to the pork mixture, along with (the Greens Ingredients) Swiss chard, kale or other hardy green, cilantro and spinach to the pot. Lightly season the stew with more salt and simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes, allowing the greens to cook and the flavors to meld together. Serve in soup bowls, garnish with cilantro, alongsideh warm flour tortillas and sliced avocado on the side to roll up and dip into the stew.

Recipe Notes

Puerco con Verdolaga Recipe Variations:

If you don’t have a access to a Double Barrel Ale, and still want to re-create that wood | fire flavor into this soup | stew, cube the pork as directed. Then place the meat into a smoker and set the temperature between 150°F | 66°C – 250°F | 121°C. Smoke the meat until it reaches an internal temperature of 110°F | 43°C. Remove the meat from the smoker and continue with the recipe, browning the meat. Using a smoked beer, such as a Rauchbier will also add some of those wood fire flavors to the final recipe.

Beer Pairing Suggestions:

With each bite of this soup, the spicy heat level rises, adding complexity and depth. To balance out the chilies, pair a Vienna Lager or Märzen | Oktoberfest will bring a malty caramel sweetness, to count act the capsaicin compound, responsible for their heat, found in the chilies. To contrast to the flavors in the soup, a Schwarzbier will had a nice counter balance to the tart tomatilloes acid with a very light roast but no real astringency that a porter or stout would bring to the pairing. To achieve a complimentary pairing, try pouring a Chipotle or other Chili Ale. A different approach to play with the spicy component is to pair with a beer using a high proportion of malted rye. These Rye beers can very with the style of the brew, the attributing IBU’s associated with that style and how the hops play into the pairing.