Easy Ground Pork Chili

An Easy Chili Recipe Using Ground Pork and Beans

Ground pork is perfect as the base for a hearty and satisfying chili that cooks up quickly and can easily feed a crowd. It’s a great dish for parties, too – something you can make in advance and everyone can top their chili however they like it: with shredded cheese, salsa, onions, tortilla chips, you name it! There are no fancy or unusual ingredients in this recipe either, so you will likely have everything you need on hand already in your kitchen pantry or fridge. So why not give this Easy Ground Pork Chili a try?

I’ll also share a little information on enjoying natural, pasture-raised pork versus commercially farmed pork and why you should seek out natural pork whenever it’s available.

Easy Ground Pork Chili: The Recipe

Serves: 6 to 8
Cooking time: About 1 hour

Recipe notes: I use our own farm-raised pastured pork for this recipe, which has enough natural fat in it that I don’t need to add any additional oil or fat to the pan. If using leaner, supermarket ground pork you may wish to start by browning some bacon in the pan and using the bacon “grease” as your oil. Or, of course, you can use vegetable or olive oil if you insist on a “lighter” fat. If you use bacon, save the crisped cooked bacon as a topping to serve alongside the finished chili.

Recipe Tip: Make Slow Cooker Beans in Advance!

I find canned beans typically mushy and bland in taste and prefer to make my own at home from dried beans, using my slow cooker. (Instructions here) I’ll make up a lot at one time and then store 2-cup serving bags in the freezer – that way I’ve got them on hand to use any time!

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground pork
1 large white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped sweet red, yellow and/or orange peppers
3 cups canned or pre-cooked small red or white beans
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
14 ounce can vegetable broth (or homemade vegetable or pork stock, if you have it)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste.

Optional toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, fresh chopped onions and japapeno slices

Directions:

1. In a heavy pot over medium heat, cook the ground pork until it is no longer pink. Spoon off any excessive fat from the pan.

2. Add the chopped onion, garlic an jalapeno peppers; cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the sweet peppers and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

4. Add all remaining ingredients to the pot and stir well to combine. Bring up to a boil and then reduce temperature. Allow to simmer and cook through for about 40 minutes, tasting regularly to adjust seasonings. You may wish to increase the amount of chili powder for more intense flavor, or add additional cayenne pepper to increase the heat. (The seasoning needed is going to depend on the quality of your ground pork.)

5. Spoon into bowls and serve alongside your optional toppings. Enjoy!

Where Does Your Pork Come From?

Humane animal husbandry = better tasting pork.

My mother has been raising pigs for the past several years – a very small farm where the pigs are allowed to run and graze freely as much as possible, a far cry from the large scale “factory farms” that provide most of the bland-tasting, overly-lean pork we find in today’s supermarkets. Since then I simply cannot buy commercially farmed pork any longer, as the difference in taste and quality of the meat from our pigs is incomparably so much greater. I also feel better eating pork when I know the pigs were able to enjoy a happy, more natural life.

Learn more about the benefits of Pastured Pork – why it’s not just more humane but leads to tastier, more nutritious pork products. Then spend the time to find a pastured pork farm or provider near you! Many small pastured pork farms today will allow you to order your own half or whole hog, and it’s a great way to support small farming and eat better! I even make my own lard for cooking from the fat of our pigs, which is actually very high in Vitamin E and Omega-3 fatty acids because they spend their lives outside in the sunshine.