Buffalo Bet's Chile Colorado

Story behind the recipe: My uncle Jesus Franco taught me how to make this delicious chile sauce from dried chilies. It works well in the slow cooker or in the instant pot. A perfect dish for a chilly fall day.

Description of the dish: This recipe has two parts - the chili sauce and then the Chile Colorado that is made with the sauce. No tomatoes or tomato sauce in this recipe. Only chilies. It's very versatile and can be made with pork or beef or a combination. Serve it over rice, beans, or in a tortilla with guacamole and cheese.

This recipe makes 6 servings

Time to prep:

• Chili sauce 1.5 hours
• Chili Colorado 25 minutes

Time to cook:

• Slow Cooker 6 to 8 hours
• Instant Pot 1 hour

Ingredients:

• Sauce:
  • 20 dried New Mexico chilies
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 - small yellow onion
  • chopped 1 tsp cumin ½
  • tsp dried oregano
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• Chili:
  • 2-1/2 to 3 lbs of pork butt or shoulder or beef chuck cubed (or a combo)
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 gloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 jalapenos, cleaned and chopped
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup beef or chicken broth

Cooking Instructions:

1. For the Sauce:
   1. Rinse chilies and remove stems, seeds, and veins. Bring a 6 quart pot of water to a boil. Add chilies, cover and remove from heat. Let soak until chilies are soft, approximately one hour. Drain the chilies reserving the soaking liquid.
   2. Put chilies, garlic, onions, and 2 cups of the reserved soaking liquid into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Additional water may be added if the sauce is too thick.
   3. Strain the sauce using a food mill or colander into a large sauce pan. Add cumin and oregano. Season to taste with salt. Simmer sauce, uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Up to one teaspoon of sugar may be added if the sauce tastes bitter. Cool and store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready for use (up to two weeks).
2. The Chile Colorado:
   1. Heat up Instant Pot using the Sauté function. Wait until the Instant Pot says "HOT."
   2. Add the tablespoon of oil and the cubed meat to the pot and salt and pepper the meat. Sauté until brown. (The meat does not need to be fully cooked.) Remove meat and set aside.
   3. Add the onion, garlic, jalapenos, oregano, and cumin to the pot. Sauté, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until onion is soft and translucent.
   4.  Add the broth to the pot and deglaze the bottom of the pan to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
   5. Add the meat back into the pot. Add the chili sauce and stir to combine*.
   6. Secure the lid. Press the Cancel button to reset the cooking program, then select the Meat/Stew program and set the cooking time for 25 minutes at high pressure. (The pot will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure before the cooking program begins.
   7. When the cooking program ends, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, then move the Pressure Release to Venting to release any remaining steam. Open the pot, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed.
   8. Ladle the Chile Colorado over rice, beans, or tortilla chips. Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, additional chopped onion and jalapenos. Slow Cooker Method for the Chile Colorado* After step 5, transfer the chili to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Recommended side dishes: Guacamole and chips

Submitted by: Betty Rasmussen, Office of Contract and Grants