Dearest readers and eaters, thanks for joining me for Tasty Tuesday 012021. On this blustery winter day, I am sharing a recipe for slow cooker pulled pork chili. We enjoyed a high of 71*F yesterday and even soaked in the hot tub before the sun went down. But today, our high is 25* lower and the winds are really whipping around. Decided it was the perfect day for a chili and cornbread supper.
Let’s Get Cooking: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chili
I have only made pulled pork chili once before. Used this recipe that first time and it was quite delicious. One of my winter bucket list activities (update coming later this week), though, is to try some new recipes. So I scoured Pinterest yesterday for a different version of this hearty dish. When I read the ingredients for Debi’s chili, I knew I had found my new recipe to try.
Grab your crock pot and meet me in the kitchen!!
Ingredients
This recipe earns extra credit at our house because it can be thrown (and forgotten) in the crock pot. But there was also one ingredient that caught my eye and told me this was a recipe I had to try. And that rhymes!!
Can you guess which one?
I’ll give you a little hint. It’s in the center of that photo. Yup, unsweetened cocoa. If we’ve gone out for Mexican food together, you probably remember how much I love mole poblano. Of which sweet chocolate is a main ingredient. I could eat my weight in mole. And double my weight eating it!! You can read more about this incredible sauce, here.
Seeing cocoa in this pulled pork chili almost ensured – for me – that it was going to be savory, rich and delicious. Here’s what else the recipe calls for.
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced (I used 3 – PC’s tummy)
- 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- sea salt & black pepper, to taste
- 3-3½ lbs. pork shoulder roast, trimmed – Weight Watcher use lean pork roast (I actually used a 2 pound pork loin)
- 1 small red onion, diced (used half – PC’s tummy)
- 4-oz. can mild green chilies
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
- 15-oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke (optional, but I used Claude’s brisket marinade)
- 1 cup chicken broth, preferably organic
I added these ingredients below to the original recipe. The idea for the bourbon and syrup are borrowed from my favorite go-to chili recipe, here:
- **1/4 cup bourbon
- **1/4 cup maple syrup
- **packet of chili seasoning mix
- **1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Directions
- Combine garlic, cocoa powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and Mexican oregano in a small bowl.
- Add salt and black pepper then mix to combine.
- Rub pork roast (or pork loin) with cocoa-seasoning mixture on all sides.
- Place in a 5 or 6-quart slower cooker crock.
- Arrange remaining ingredients (onion, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste and chilies) around the pork.
- Pour the liquid smoke (or brisket marinade) and chicken broth on top.
- Stir the ingredients on each side of the pork with a fork to mix.
- **Because I am me and I never follow a recipe to the T, I also added a little maple syrup and a little bourbon. About 1/4 cup each. This is where I added the bourbon and maple syrup, pouring them on top of everything else)
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8.
- Do not remove lid while cooking. Not sure why. I did, though, because I wanted to taste the sauce. Yes, I know…curiosity killed the cat. Or ruined the chili?
- When cook time is complete, remove the lid and gently pull the pork apart with two forks. The pork loin had this smoky crustiness from the cocoa-spice rub. It would be great shredded for tacos or burritos.
- Allow the pulled pork to rest in the chili for 10-15 minutes to absorb more flavor if desired.
- To serve, top with shredded cheese, chopped red onion, sour cream and/or fresh cilantro.
I have to tell you, this filled my house with the most delicious smells while it was cooking. You might wonder what the chocolate adds to the flavor of this chili. It gives it a richer, heartier taste.
⚠️ Disclaimer⚠️
Sooo, you remember up 🡹 there when I said I lifted the lid so I could taste the sauce? Well, when I did, I found the sauce to be a little bland. Even with the bourbon and maple syrup I added on my own!! What to do?
Added about a 1/2 cup of spicy honey BBQ sauce. And a packet of chili seasoning mix. Stirred it up good, and put the lid back on. Let it cook about 30 minutes more while the cornbread was baking.
PC proclaimed the end result delicious. And it really was, if I do say so myself. The original recipe was very good but I prefer a saucy, sweeter chili. The bourbon and maple syrup add a smoky sweetness. The chili seasoning and the BBQ sauce made the broth or sauce a little thicker.
Your Turn
If you are looking for an alternative to the traditional ground beef chili, hope you will give this pulled pork chili a go. It was thick and hearty and flavorful (thanks to my tweaks!) – a meal in a bowl. I know it may be hard to make heads or tails out of this recipe, so holler if you want to try it but have questions about the ingredients I added.
Want to invite you to join a few of my closest blogging buddies and me for a Favorite Treats for Our Sweets recipe swap and blog hop on #TastyTuesday, 02.16.2021. We will be sharing some of our favorite recipes and hope you will stop by to share one of yours.
Thank you for visiting today, friends. If I don’t hurry and click on ‘publish’ this is going to be a Tasty Wednesday recipe…doesn’t have quite the same ring!
Hugs and kisses,
Oooh…we put the cocoa in some of our smoothies. It’s such a great way to make it feel like a treat. I used it once for a mole, and I bet I’d love it in this chili.
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Oh, try it, Jodie!! So good!! We need to try cocoa in our smoothies. Thanks for the inspo.
I can just smell my house reading this! I love a good chili recipe, and have never thought of making it with pulled pork! I will have to give this one a try for sure. Thanks for sharing!
The pulled pork really makes this chili recipe heartier. More filling. PC was in pig heaven with all the meat!
The pulled pork makes it heartier. PC loves it. Hope you will give it a go!
I am pinning this for later! I think my whole family would be into this recipe and I’ll have to find a few ingredients including the bourbon, I definitely want to try it like that.
bosbodaciousblog.blogspot.ca
Hey, not sure why this recipe won’t pin. Ugh!! Technology.
Sent the pin to you. Thank you for trying.
Hmmm. I am not sure if it’s me, but I couldn’t get it to pin on Pinterest. Any thoughts?
Oh my…Let me see. I have trouble with that. Thanks!
I too tend to use a recipe as a starting point. It’s about making it your own. This sounds yummy indeed.
Thank you, Joanne, I am glad I am not the only one. When I tasted the ‘finished’ chili I knew I had to jazz it up a bit.
That sounds so good! My husband and older son just loved pulled pork so I bet they would devour this. Pinned.
Oh, try this chili, Joanne. The guys will thank you!!
This sounds and looks so delicious! I wish you were my neighbor and I stop over and try it. Perfect for these chillier winter nights in Texas.
Ha! We would never get anything done if we were neighbors…a whole lot of visiting, and that’s it. This chili was really tasty. Hope you will try it.
I really want to try this, that unsweetened cocoa sounds like an interesting ingredient and one that is worth adding! Ha, ha! 🙂 I hope you’re family is doing well. Brian got his second Covid vaccine yesterday and had no symptoms this time around. SO weird, but good!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Hallelujah for Brian…no symptoms with his second vaccine. So glad. Praying my mom doesn’t either.
Please try the chili, it is delish.
This sounds and looks so delish. Pinning!
Thank you, Lysha. It was really yummy. And more substantial than regular chili.
Yum!! We absolutely love chili here! I will need to try this recipe soon! My husband likes to smoke meat which often means we have lots of leftover pulled pork and I am trying to reinvent it different ways. That will be perfect in this recipe!
Oh, Laura, hope you will try this chili. It really was yummy. And if you have smoked pork, half the work is done!!
I love chili and anything that can be made in the crockpot! This sounds delicious! Love that there’s a little cocoa powder in it!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Thanks, Jill. The cocoa really gave the meat a great flavor. Would be yummy just in tacos.