PJ's Pork Green Chile Stew - 5 WW Freestyle Points a Serving

I randomly stumbled onto a Farmer's Market last weekend where they were selling fresh roasted chiles in convenient quart sized bags and I just had to buy some. I LOVE green chiles. Maybe have a borderline obsession with them. I mean come on, there are few things in the world that smell better than freshly roasted chiles! 

And now that it's finally getting cooler, I decided it was time to try my hand at making a Pork Green Chile Stew again. I've done it before in the past but it was never quite right. This time? It was definitely right. I made it in the Instant Pot using the saute and slow cooker functions and let it cook for 10 hours. In reality I could have shortened the cooking time but honestly? I forgot it was cooking for a couple of hours and the pork turned out super tender so everyone wins. Enough with the babbling, onto the recipe! 

1 1/2 lb diced pork (or pork shoulder, lean that you dice yourself) 

1 cup all purpose flour for coating the pork

3 cloves garlic, minced 

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 lb peeled, seeded, and diced green chiles (I used medium Hatch)

1 1/2 tablespoon each Better Than Bouillon in Roasted Beef and Roasted Garlic 

1 can flame roasted diced tomatoes

1 can petite diced tomatoes

4 cups water 

1 medium onion, diced 

3 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder 

1/4 cup soy sauce, more or less depending on your preference 

3 tablespoons tomato paste (the kind in the tube is way better than canned IMO)

salt & pepper to taste 

1. Turn the Instant Pot onto saute and heat the vegetable oil. While the oil is heating, lightly coat the pork in flour. (You likely won't need a full cup of flour but that is what I measured out.) Saute the pork until browned. Remove the pork from the pot and add a spritz of cooking spray, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or just long enough to cook out the raw flavor. 

2. Add the pork back into the pot and dump in all the rest of the ingredients. Stir until its all mixed together. Switch the Instant Pot to Slow Cooker mode and set on low for at least 6-8 hours to make sure the pork comes out nice and tender. 

and that is pretty much it! I did end up adding the soy sauce and tomato paste near the end of the cooking time because when I tasted it without those ingredients I felt that while the flavor and heat was good, it was still missing a certain depth. Soy sauce and tomato paste are great for adding that "umami" flavor that is so elusive. I am extremely happy with how this turned out and will definitely be making this again.