Oscars Food: Black Bean Chili w/Crispy Pork & Poblano Salsa

[RisaG]

The original recipe for this was not good. Originally came from the March 2008 Bon Appetit magazine. i got it off Epicurious. I was very disappointed in the seasoning on the chili and had to change it considerably. Also the way the pork was cooked it was not crispy at all. Why call it that?

I realized after I defrosted the pork that it was not boneless ribs. So, I changed the recipe all together. I made the black bean chili and made the pork as ribs, in the oven, and the ribs were TDF. I sprinkled the ribs with Rib Rub and let them sit in the refrigerator for many hours and then I cooked them low-and-slow in the oven, until they almost fell off the bones. I brushed them 3/4 of the way through with some bbq sauce. I browned them at the last moment before serving.

This was the chili:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

12 cloves garlic, chopped

7 tbsp New Mexican chili powder

1.5 tsp ground cumin

14 cups of water, or there about

1.5 lb dried black beans, rinsed and picked through

2.5 tsp dried Mexican oregano

1.5 tsp finely grated orange zest

1.5 tsp chipotle en adobo*

salt, to taste

Salsa:

6 roasted poblano chiles, seeded

1 cup white onion, chopped

1-7 oz jar salsa verde (or homemade)

Crema:

2 cups Mexican crema

2 tsp chipotle en adobo**

For chili: Heat oil in a heavy large pan over MED heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin and stir 1 minute. Add water, black beans, oregano and zest. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to MED-LOW. Cover with lid and simmer until beans are tender, about 2 hours. Add chipotle and season to taste with salt. Add some salt and then mix it in. Simmer for another 30 minutes until the beans are creamy, mashing coarsely with a potato masher, to desired consistency. Add more water if necessary, 1/2 cupfuls, until you get the right consistency.

For salsa: Mince up the roasted poblanos. Place in a bowl with the onions and salsa. Mix well. Set aside.

For crema: Mix the crema and chipotle together until a uniform mixture. Set aside.

To serve: Place 1/10th of the pot in a bowl, garnish with salsa and crema. Serve with some ribs on the side.***

Risa's note:

*original recipe called for chipotle but I used some ancho instead. Trevor does not like very spicy stuff.

**I just served the crema by itself, some chopped cilantro, chopped scallion, and extra green salsa on the side.

***The original recipe called for boneless country ribs, in chunks, browned in a pan and then braised for 40 minutes in chicken broth, cilantro and cumin. I cooked full racks of country ribs in the oven and served a few on the side of each bowl of chili.

Yield: 10 servings

Source: Bon Appetit Magazine, March 2008

Posted by RisaG 2/27/12

 

RisaG