I’ve never been very good on skis. That’s hard to admit, growing up in Colorado. Idyllic slopes are a 2 hour drive from home and most small talk revolves around what bowls you hit or how often you wax. I’m sure I’ve even lost a job offer because I’d “just stick to the blues” today. But I love it…even as a hapless amateur. The vibe, the prep, the gear, the openness, the cold–it all brings me back.

But for somebody who’s day was more in the slow than on it, there might be one thing better than the sun-baked car on the way down the mountain. In the Alps it’s called après-ski…for me it is a beer and green chili.

You drive home, the people in the back seat fall asleep, and there’s usually a football game on. At home, you knock the snow boots clean and store the skis in the garage ’til who-knows-when we go next. By now the rules of lunch and dinner time are ignored. YouThen we’d tuck into a lunch that reminded you how hungry you were. And if you were keen to leave the slow-cooker going while you were out for the day, you’d be welcomed home by peppers and pork shoulder and spices in the air.

By now the chili is drunk on its own beer. The pork falls apart when you look at it funny. The Anaheim and jalapeño chilis have just enough warmth to start your evening thaw from the frozen hills.

Making it is as easy or as complicated as you like. You can substitute ingredients out and still be pretty happy.

That said, the best green chili I’ve tasted always has pork shoulder, tomatillos, and cooks for a long time. There are lots of cuts of pork, but none seem to work as well as the shoulder. The Tomatillos can be tough to find based on when and where you’d like to buy them. If they are unavailable, a green tomato or any tart variety will suffice. Finally, a slow cooker is the hardest part of this recipe because you have to wait! All those delicious smells tempting you to say “ah we’ll just have it now” are hard to resist (and it’s still delicious)…but it’ll be worth the wait.

Here’s a recipe I like:

Ingredients

4 fresh tomatillos – husked, peeled, and halved
3 Anaheim chili peppers – seeded and halved
3 jalapeño peppers – seeded and halved lengthwise
1 medium onion, halved
1 green bell pepper, seeded and halved lengthwise
1 ½ cups pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 beef bouillon cube
½ (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lager-style beer
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

Many items can be replaced based on availability or spice preference. Experiment with what works best for you.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Arrange the halved tomatillos, Anaheim chiles, jalapeños, onion, and green bell pepper on a baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetables with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven until they begin to show brown spots, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool, then chop vegetables into bite-size pieces.
4. Heat 1 more tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat, and pan-fry the pork until browned, sprinkling the meat with salt and black pepper as it cooks, about 12 minutes. Transfer the pork cubes to a slow cooker, and stir in the roasted vegetables. Mix in the tomatoes, garlic, beef bouillon cube, beer, oregano, parsley, cumin, and chili powder. Set the cooker on Low, cover, and cook until the pork is very tender, 4 to 6 hours.
5. About 1/2 hour before serving, place the cream cheese into a bowl, and stir in about 1 tablespoon of the chili liquid until thoroughly combined. Continue stirring in chili broth, a tablespoon at a time, until the cream cheese is almost a liquid. Stir the cream cheese mixture back into the chili.