My local Mexican joint sells a beef chili verde that is just out of this world. Spicy, smoky, tangy, garlicky. I love it. The thing is... it's dark brown. It's not verde at all.

Try as I might, I can't replicate it. Mine always turn out green and are missing something...

Has anyone else ever had a brown chili verde? The internet is no help.

I'm getting a little closer with my latest batch, but it's still not right. I'm roasting/blistering the tomatillos and jalapenos until they are very black, and using beef stock. The rest of the recipe is pretty straightforward... garlic, onion, cumin, salt, pepper...

Am I insane?

I add a bottle of dark beer to mine. It's still greenish, but will all the green peppers and tomatillos, I'm not sure how there's no green.

Maybe they are charring some poblano peppers as well? I'm trying to think of other dark green or very dark brown/black vegetables.

have you tried green chili's instead of tomatillo and jalapeno?

How soupy is it and how are you cooking it?

I've started doing soups/stews in the oven in my dutch oven with the lid cracked once all the ingredients are in the pot. This leads to a much darker and complex stew overall as the top will brown during the cooking process instead of simply leaving it on the stove top with the lid closed.

I made a green chile stew last weekend and did something different. Instead of cubing the chuck roast before cooking, I seared the hell out of it in the largest chunks possible I could fit into my pot. I then cubed it after and returned it with the remaining ingredients. This might have added to some of the darker color to the stock (I used chicken even), but it also adds great texture to the meat.

Have you asked them how they make it?

HTownAg98 said:

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Have you asked them how they make it?

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I've thought about it. Their English is about as good as my Spanish.

Canned Chipotle peppers?

Now that I think about it, I can get a rich brown broth when doing this.

Maybe poblanos are the holy grail. I will try some next time.

I have used chipotle, but that's more of a red than brown.

You can get an even browner sauce by stirring that "crust" into the sauce.

Is it Chili Colorado?

Wow, I'm making that chili Colorado recipe so damn soon. Sounds brilliant.

Sooner Born said:

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Is it Chili Colorado?

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The color is definitely closer to that. But I know it's got tomatillos in it because I can taste them... they add such a distinctive "bright" acidity. But maybe I can combine the chilis from the chili Colorado with some tomatillos and come close.

Do it and report back.

It's my favorite mexican dish in the Twin Cities. Most of the mexican food here sucks, even the stuff made by mexicans, but the Chili Colorado is legit. It's like Mexican curry.

FYI if you're out in New Mexico or West Texas that is asado and it is damn delicious. Definitely no tomatillo in it. Might get called Chile Colorado in northern NM, but I grew up in the SE. It is cooked with pork instead of beef, however.

Not being a snob, but I don't want y'all getting any weird looks if you ask for Chile Colorado when you're out here some time.

By the way, I just noticed that they have a chili Colorado on the menu. Here it is verbatim:

Chile Colorado (Mild) $7.49

beef tips in salsa ranchera with rice, beans and tortillas.

Chile Verde (Hot) $8.49

beef tips or chicken in tomatillo sauce with rice, beans and tortillas.

So who knows?

Maybe they're just kicking up the Colorado and calling it verde? I'd think they'd know better what the hell they're serving. Whatever it is, it's delicious.

So, I made the bon appetit chili colorado recipe, but modififed it to include 1 lb roasted tomatillo and 2 roasted jalapenos in the pepper sauce.

The color was spot on, and the flavor very close. Next time I will ramp up the tomatillo a bit more (maybe 2 lbs) and double jalapenos, or maybe add some chipotle. Mine was not nearly hot enough, and the tomatillo acidity/brightness was muted compared to the restaraunt version.

In a couple weeks I'll make it again. Now that I have a base recipe that looks and tastes approximately right, I can really start to work it.

Thanks, texags for the chili colorado link. That was the missing part of the equation!