Food & Drink
Cooking in Quarantine: Canlis’s Pork Posole Verde
Executive Chef Brady Williams Shares a Hearty and Delicious Meal for the Family
By Tricia Romano April 16, 2020

“Personally, I’ve been doing okay all things considered. One of the unique affects from this time is that my schedule and day-to-day life has been altered greatly. We are currently operating the restaurant from Monday through Friday, giving our staff a “traditional” weekend. Additionally, our operating hours have truncated—meaning I’m home each evening four to five hours earlier than I would be. After a decade of a fairly regimented and set schedule, getting home while there is still daylight has been an extreme adjustment and one that was hard at first and coupled with feelings of guilt. I’ve since found this time to be restorative though—I’m cooking more at home with my girlfriend, catching up on TV shows I’m years behind on and never had the time for, and most recently, been taking advantage of this great weather with some longer bike rides, which has been advantageous to both my mental and physical health.
—Brady Williams is the 2019 winner of the James Beard award for Best Chef Northwest and is the executive chef at Canlis, winner of the 2017 James Beard award for its wine program. Order Family Meal or Bottle Service from Canlis via its restaurant.
PORK POSOLE VERDE
Serves 4-6
- 4 ea poblano pepper
- 2 ea anaheim Pepper
- 1 ea jalapeno pepper
- 1# tomatillo
- 1 ea large yellow onion
- 3 ea garlic cloves
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 2 L chicken stock
- 3 pounds of pork shoulder, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 2 ea limes
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 can hominy
- grapeseed (or other neutral) oil
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- Optional (for garnish): Additional cilantro, Onion, radishes (sliced), cotija cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, pickled jalapenos, cabbage, avocado
Equipment: Blender, large dutch oven or stock pot
Remove stems and seeds from peppers and husks from tomatillos. In a blender, combine poblano, Anaheim, jalapeno peppers, tomatillo, one bunch of cilantro, half yellow onion, and garlic cloves with a little water (to catch), and blend until fully pureed. Reserve.
Heat your large dutch oven over medium high heat with enough grapeseed oil to liberally coat the bottom of the pan. Chop remaining half yellow onion to a medium dice. In a large bowl, season pork with kosher salt and toss to evenly coat. Add pork to pan, turning pieces as they start to brown. Add a few turns of fresh cracked pepper to pork. When browned on all sides add onions. Stir, sweating onions until translucent. Add half cup of water to deglaze.
Add pureed mix to pan. Continue cooking over medium high heat, stirring frequently with a whiskey or wooden spoon. You want to “cook out” the mixture and the color should begin to deepen to a darker green. After 12 to 15 minutes, add chicken stock, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Continue cooking until pork is fully tender, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Rinse hominy thoroughly with water. Add to pan and cook for 30 more minutes over low heat. The stew should start to thicken slightly. Season with salt and lime juice to taste.
To serve:
Distribute among bowls and top with any garnish you please or enjoy as is.