Slow-Cooker Pulled-Pork Chili With Cornbread Dumplings - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the Chili
3 1/2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 8 large pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 dried New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 large Spanish onion, diced
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and minced
8 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (12 ounce) bottle light beer, such as lager
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot, to taste
For the Cornbread and Garnish
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
canned jalapeno slices, for garnish
cilantro leaf, for garnish

Preparation

For the Chili: Blot pork dry with paper towels. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add pork and cook until browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn pork and brown opposite side. Transfer pork to slow cooker.
In a clean pot, add dried ancho and New Mexico chilies and toast over high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until chilies are softened and almost falling apart, about 15 minutes. Transfer to blender and add tomato paste, light brown sugar, cocoa powder, cumin, and Worcestershire sauce. Blend to a smooth paste. Scrape paste into slow cooker with pork.
Add onion, jalapeno, and garlic to slow cooker, arranging them on and around the pork. Pour crushed tomatoes on top.
In a medium bowl, whisk together beer and cornstarch. Pour into slow cooker. Gently stir in kidney beans. Cover and cook on low until pork is fall-apart tender, about 6 hours.
Remove pork from sauce and shred using 2 forks. Return pulled pork to slow cooker, stir well, and season with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce for additional heat, if desired.
For the Cornbread: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a small pan, brown the butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add browned butter, light brown sugar, eggs, and milk. Mix until no dry streaks remain, being careful not to over-mix. Fold in cheddar cheese.
Spoon the batter gently onto the chili. Cover and increase heat to high. Cook until dumplings are fully cooked through, about 1 hour. Top with jalapeno slices and cilantro leaves and serve.