Smoky Salsa Verde Pork & Black Beans Chili

I love black beans! Actually, I love all beans and so does my family. Open my pantry at anytime of the year and you will find a minimum of 6 assorted cans of beans. Beans are so versatile and nutritious! As a staple in my home canned beans are easily incorporated in 30-minute meals! When I read about #BushsChiliCookOff, I immediately knew I would enter. My family is always ready to enjoy a big bowl of chili for lunch or dinner. They actually say my best cooking comes in the form of soup or chili! I love making big pots of chili because it freezes so well!

A special prize awaits the two winners of #BushsChiliCookOff. Winners will be flown to New York for a BUSH’S Beans Kitchen Collaboration Demo Video where they will be paired with BUSH’S Expert Chef Jeffrey Saad. Chef Jeffrey will work with the winners on ways to mix up your current chili and try your hand at new chili recipes. I respect Chef Jeffrey so much! I met him at World Food Championships and quickly became a fan. I was fortunate to live close to one of his restaurants. His dishes are elevated in flavor, packed with depth of spices, variation of flavor, and just darn right creative and pretty to the eye. What an honor it would be to have Chef Jeffrey’s valuable input on my chili. I know it would be an experience of a life time!

Another bonus, the winning recipes will be featured on The Daily Meal website! The Daily Meal editorial team will judge recipes based on creativity, simplicity, versatility, and photo quality. Smoky Salsa Verde Pork & Black Beans Chili has a creativite and easy base: Housemade Salsa Verde! This chili is versatile, think burrito stuffing or fried eggs on top! I love the simplicity of whirling fresh ingredients in the food processor instead of chopping for a long time. Salsa Verde + Beans + Spices = Delicious Chili!

Bush's Best Beans have been around for over 100 years so it is of no wonder that I feel like I was raised on them! As a kid, I loved Bush’s Best Baked Beans. Over a half-a-century later, I enjoy pinto, black, and white beans the most. I had Bush's Best Beans in my pantry before I caught eye of the contest! Nevertheless, off to the store I fled to see if there were new types of Bush’s Best Beans. There were over 25 varities of Bush's Best Beans in my local store. I actually counted 80 types of beans on their website! Oh My!

Not only am I known for making TasTy chili, people love my fresh salsa verde sauce. So when it came time to develop a new and creative way of adding flavor chili I thought of housemade salsa verde! The beauty of this recipe is that the food processor does all the work for you! Purée tomatillos, chili peppers, green onions, garlic, cilantro, and 1 teaspoon sea salt and BaM you have the base for the TasTiest chili EveR! Smoky Salsa Verde Pork & Black Bean Chili can be made in less than 30 minutes. I feel good that this chili is healthy with lean pork tenderloin and packed with fresh ingredients. Please let me know when you try making a pot of sMoky Salsa Verde Pork & Black Beans Chili!

Smoky Salsa Verde Pork & Black Beans Chili

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound clean pork tenderloin, cut vertically into halves

1/2 tablespoon canola oil

3 cups (14 ounces) tomatillos, halves or quarters

1 medium (4-5 ounce) Poblano chili pepper

1/2 (3-inch) Serrano chili pepper, cut in half, seeds removed

3 green onions, chopped in 2 inch pieces

4 medium garlic cloves

1 cup packed cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 can (15 oz) BUSH'S® Black Beans, drained

2 cans (15.5 oz) BUSH'S® Black Beans Chili Beans, with liquid

1 cup (16 oz) BUSH'S® Refried Black Beans ,

1 cup chicken broth

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese or shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Optional Toppings: shredded lettuce, sour cream, cilantro, green onions, fresh salsa verde, avocado

Serving suggestion: Tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle both sides of pork with sea salt, about 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Rub with canola oil. Heat an oven safe grill pan or frying pan over high heat. Sear pork for 3 minutes on both sides. Place pan with pork in hot oven, and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to foil and set aside for 5 minutes. Cut pork into ½-inch cubes.

Meanwhile, using a food processor, purée tomatillos, chili peppers, green onions, garlic, cilantro, and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Remove 1/2 cup fresh salsa verde; set aside for topping. Transfer remaining salsa verde to a medium stockpot. Stir in black beans, chili beans, 1 cup refried beans, chicken broth, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Heat over medium heat until hot; 5 minutes. Add cooked pork cubes and any pork juices; simmer 5 minutes. Salt to taste! Divide into bowls and top with cheese and reserved salsa verde. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onion. Optional: sour cream, shredded lettuce, and avocado.

CHILI TIPS:

1. Use Bush's Best Refied Black Beans to thicken chili!

2. Pork tenderloin is not fatty therefore add pork at end of chili making to keep pork plump and juicy.

3. Use Bush's Black Beans Chili with liquid to add a base depth of flavor. Use drained Bush's Black Beans to extend the quantity and allow you to add your own flavor boosts!

4. Cooked chicken can be exchanged for pork.

Step by Step

After coming home from the market I had to decide what beans to use! I sampled Black Beans, Chili Beans, and Seasoned Black Beans, and Refried Black Beans. I could have used them all but narrowed it down to Chili Beans for depth of flavor, Black Beans for beans that would grab the salsa verde and refried beans as a thickening agent!

Next, it was time to gather my Salsa Verde ingredients. So pretty!

Salsa Verde is so easy to make ~ just 30 seconds in the food processor!

Transfer salsa verde to your favorite chili pot!

Stir in all cans of beans and spices to the salsa verde, stir, and heat!

In the meantime, grill the pork 3 minutes on each side and bake in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Allow the pork to rest 5 minutes. Cut pork into cubes.

Don't over cook your meat. If your meat turns out pinker than the pork below, never fear, go ahead and cube and let it finish cooking in the pot of beans! There should be a little center pinkness!

TIP: If you have non-pork eaters, simply saute chicken thigh and cube. Divide your black bean base into two pots. Add pork to one and chicken to the other. I had to do this tonight because I was feeding a non-porky neighbor!

Toss the pork cubes into the beans and simmer for 5 minutes over low heat. Adjust seasoning to how you like it! This chili is not spicy!