Pork Chili with Roasted Red Hatch Peppers
This pork chili recipe is made with chunks of tender pork shoulder, roasted red New Mexican peppers, fire roasted tomatoes and a mix of chili powders that are huge on flavor. Grab a bowl! Perfect for game day.
It’s time for chili! Everyone wants a bowl of wonderfully spicy chili this time of year, and flat out, chili is just what we need when the weather turns a bit colder to help warm the bones.
There is something about a good chili that always satisfies, and I love that there are so many ways to make the stuff. There are no-bean versions and plenty with beans, and when you include beans, you have SO MANY options of the types of beans used.
Same with meats. Are you going to go with beef? Is that cubed beef or ground? Which cut? How about pork? Shoulder? Belly? Both? What about chicken? I do LOVES me a good White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe. I’m sure you get my drift here.
And THEN there are the seasonings! Oh baby! This is where the playground opens up the most for me because I’m a spice fanatic, and there are SO MANY spices that I love, some of which I have included in this recipe.
I love it!
And just take a look at it. Oh baby!
I really do love my chili.
This particular recipe is a pork chili recipe. I used pork shoulder, which is very flavorful when you cook it down slowly in a pot, along with kidney beans, sweet onion, jalapeno peppers, garlic and fire roasted tomatoes.
For the spices, I’m working with a blend of chili powders – ancho, guajillo and chipotle powders – along with cumin and a bit of salt and pepper.
It doesn’t get any better than this. Especially when we’re incorporating fresh roasted peppers into the chili. Today, I’m using Hatch peppers.
About the Hatch Peppers
Hatch peppers are unique in that they are grown in the Hatch region of New Mexico. Hatch peppers aren’t actually a single type of pepper, but a variety, so named because of the region where they are grown.
The reality is that “Hatch Chili Peppers” actually belong to the broader category of New Mexican peppers, and there are many types. You can learn more about Hatch Chili Peppers here, including types and history. Hatch peppers typically range in heat levels from 1,000 – 8,000 Scoville Heat Units, which is quite mild to about jalapeno pepper level heat.
Harvesting season runs from August through September. I got a mild variety – they are New Mexico 6-4 types to be more specific – and they are DELICIOUS. They were delivered already roasted, frozen. All I had to do was thaw them out and I’m ready to get cooking!
Let’s talk about how we make this pork chili, shall we? Super easy!
How to Make This Pork Chili Recipe – The Method
First, heat olive oil in a large pot and add your cubed pork shoulder, onion and jalapeno peppers. Cook them down about 10 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through.
Add the garlic and cook another minute, stirring. You can smell when the garlic is ready. So good!
If using fresh tomatoes, chop them and add them to the pot. Diced tomatoes are great. Cook about 10 minutes to let them break down. If using canned fire roasted tomatoes, just add them to the pot and go to the next step.
Add the remaining ingredients, including your chopped Hatch peppers and all those seasonings, and give it all a good stir.
Cook the chili on low for at least 1 hour to let the flavors develop, stirring occasionally. The flavors really develop when it is slow cooked. Adjust for seasonings if you wish.
So incredible on flavor.
I garnish mine with crumbly white queso fresco or homemade queso blanco, as well as fresh chopped cilantro and spicy chili flakes. Try with lime wedges, sour cream.
Good stuff!
Adjusting the Heat Factor
If you order or grow a milder variety of Hatch or New Mexico chile peppers, you can easily up the heat by incorporating a spicy chili powder or spicy chili flakes. I added some chili flakes to mine for a bit of zing.
Or, either order or grow a hotter variety of New Mexican peppers, such as the Sandia pepper, which is about as hot as a jalapeno pepper.
Can You Make This Recipe with Other Peppers?
Absolutely. If you do not have access to Hatch or New Mexico peppers, you can make this with any larger, thicker walled pepper, such as the Anaheim, large Italian sweets (think Corno di Toro), and yes, even sweet bell peppers.
Try poblano peppers for this recipe as well. They’re great.
Try it with black beans, too. Looking for a touch of sweet depth? Stir in a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and let it simmer through.
Where Can You Buy Hatch Chile Peppers?
I have a list of online resources where you can buy Hatch Chile Peppers.
That’s it, my friends! I hope you enjoy your chili! Grab yourself a bowl!
What Can I Substitute for Pork in Pork Chili?
If you do not want to use pork, use chicken breast. White meat chicken is a great alternative. Chicken thighs are a good option as well. It will also work with cubed or ground beef.
What Can I Substitute for Pork Shoulder?
If pork shoulder is unavailable to you, use a pork loin or pork tenderloin for this recipe. You can also use chicken breast for a non-pork alternative.
Try Some of My Other Popular Chili Recipes
- Slow Cooker Southwest Beef Chili
- White Bean Chicken Chili
- Homemade Roasted Tomatillo Pork Chili
- Chili Colorado
- Chili con Carne
- Chili Verde
- Shrimp and Red Bean Chili
- Cincinnati Chili
- “Real Deal” Turkey Chili
Try Some of My Popular Hatch Pepper Recipes
- Hatch Chile Salsa
- One Pan Hatch Chile Cheese Dip
- Roasted Hatch Chile-Beer Mustard
- Spicy Pork-Hatch Chile Casserole
- Caribbean-Style Flame Roasted Pepper Bisque with Seared Shrimp
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound pork shoulder cubed (I used some smoke pork shoulder)
- 1 large sweet onion chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 cans red kidney beans
- 28 ounce fire roasted tomatoes or use equivalent fresh
- 1 pound roasted Hatch peppers chopped
- 14 ounce tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon ancho powder
- 1 tablespoon guajillo powder
- 1 tablespoon chipotle powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
- Pepper to taste
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Heat the oil in a large pot and add the pork, onion and jalapeno peppers. Cook them down about 10 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through.
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Add the garlic and cook another minute, stirring.
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If using fresh tomatoes, chop them and add them to the pot. Cook about 10 minutes to let them break down. If using canned fire roasted tomatoes, just add them to the pot and go to the next step.
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Add the remaining ingredients and give it all a good stir.
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Cook the chili on low for at least 1 hour to let the flavors develop, stirring every now and then. Adjust for seasonings if you wish.
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Serve in bowls with your favorite fixins.
Serves 6-8.
Heat Factor: Medium. You'll get some decent heat here, but if you're looking to up that heat factor, incorporate hotter peppers or add in extra spicy chili powder or chili flakes. Hot sauce is also a nice addition for both heat and flavor.
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An excellent chili, very tasty, full of flavors!
Just changed shoulder to bacon, and it was fat ‘n nice. I have to substitute guajillo with passila too (my guadillo powder was too old).
That’s great, Jeremie! I know you love your bacon, my friend!
Wow! This chili looks fabulous! And it’s getting closer to chili season where I live. However I’ve never seen anything but green hatch peppers. Maybe I need to grow my own!
Thanks, Mimi. Absolutely, you should grow some of the Hatch types. Check out my page About Hatch Chili Peppers to see what types you might grow. Great peppers!