Smokey Slow Cooker Chili - cooking recipe

Ingredients

cooking spray
1 lb pork, ground
1 lb pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups onions, chopped
1 3/4 cups green bell peppers, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beer (lager-style such as Budweiser)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
6 tomatillos, quartered
2 bay leaves
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans plum tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added pinto beans, drained
1 (7 3/4 ounce) can tomato sauce, Mexican hot-style (such as El Paso)
1 smoked ham hock (about 8 ounces)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled (2 ounces)
8 lime wedges

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ground pork to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to slightly crumble. Drain well. Transfer pork to an electric slow cooker.
2. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add pork shoulder; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Transfer pork to slow cooker.
3. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and bell pepper; saute 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in beer; cook 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, chili powder, and next 9 ingredients (through ham hock) to slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 5 hours or until meat is tender. Remove bay leaves and ham hock; discard. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and sugar. Ladle about 1 1/3 cups chili into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1 tablespoon green onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese. Serve each serving with 1 lime wedge.
Note: You can also cook the chili in a slow cooker on LOW for 8 hours. For cooking chili on the stovetop, use a total of 12 ounces beer and simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the pork shoulder is tender.