Green chile season is wrapping up. If you’re like thousands of other Coloradans, you’ve sought out your favorite roasted-chile stand, grocery store or farmers market (or will be soon) in order to buy a bag, a bushel or a couple of bushels of either Pueblo or Hatch peppers.

For many, making a batch of green chile at home is a spicy group activity, a family tradition or, if you freeze your chile, a modern way to buckle down for the cold weather ahead.

But if you’re new to the game, making green chile can be fraught with indecision over which direction to go. Do you want pork? Vegetarian? What about tomatoes vs. tomatillos? Masa or flour? Cumin or chile powder? (Or both?) Will tomato paste make the dish better or worse? Are you a fan of blending the chiles into a thick sauce or of keeping things simpler with a thinner broth?

To help you start things off, we’re providing three famous recipes below (along with a link to a copycat version of a fourth).

Hosea Rosenberg’s Pork Green Chile Potato Stew

Hosea Rosenberg is known locally as the head chef and owner of Blackbelly, the Michelin-recommended restaurant and market he started in Boulder in 2014 and expanded to Denver in 2024. Nationally, he gained fame in 2009 as the winner of “Top Chef” Season 5 when he cooked blackened redfish with corn cakes. But Rosenberg was raised in New Mexico, Colorado’s chief rival when it comes to green chile, so his recipe brings some street cred. It also, notably, includes fingerling potatoes. “This green chile posole is a stew I grew up on as a kid in New Mexico. It is a staple dish in our culture. Every restaurant and family there has their own recipe. The ingredients are very representative of the area, which is known for its chiles and spices,” he told Eat the Real in 2019.

Serves approximately 16 (perfect for a big dinner party, or reduce amounts proportionally for a smaller batch)INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 pounds pork butt, large dice

1 gallon (128 ounces) chicken stock

1/2 of a yellow onion

4 celery stalks

1 carrot, split

4 whole cloves of garlic

1/2 cup canola oil

3 cups yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon hot chile powder

1/4 tablespoon cumin

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoon salt

1 1/4 pounds hot green chiles

1 1/4 pounds medium green chiles

1/8 cup oregano, fresh chopped

1/4 cup jalapeño, diced small (no seeds)

1/2 cup lime juice

2 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, cut in small chunks

DIRECTIONS

Place pork butt, chicken stock, onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a large pot and simmer for at least 4 hours (overnight is OK.) Let cool in refrigerator.

2. Bring stock back to boil. Remove pork and reserve. Strain stock through chinoise.

3. In large pot, sautée onions and garlic until soft.

4. Add spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add strained stock and bring back to simmer.

5. Add pork, chiles, oregano, jalapeño, lime and potatoes and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Potatoes should still be al dente.

6. Check seasonings and serve.

Dana Rodriguez’s Pork Green Chile

Dana Rodriguez got her start in Denver working for local restaurant pioneers Jennifer Jasinski and Beth Gruitch before helping to start Work & Class in 2014. Over the next few years, the native of Chihuahua, Mexico, earned two James Beard nominations and opened several more restaurants, including Super Mega Bien, Cantina Loca and now Carne. She is also the executive chef at Casa Bonita.

More a savory, spicy soup than a stew, Rodriguez grew up with this dish, a specialty of her father’s, on a small farm in Mexico without electricity or running water, she told Sunset magazine in 2017.

INGREDIENTS

10 fresh New Mexico or Anaheim green chiles, or 1 pound thawed frozen New Mexico green chiles

5 poblano chiles

2 jalapeño chiles

6 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed well in warm water, then dried

1 large white onion, halved and peeled

About 6 tablespoons canola oil, divided

3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 garlic cloves, gently smashed and peeled

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon coriander

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves

About 1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 quarts low-sodium or homemade chicken stock

1 bunch fresh cilantro with stems

6 fresh epazote leaves* (optional; see tip below)

For topping: 2/3 cup each crumbled fresh goat cheese or queso fresco; very thinly sliced red radishes; toasted salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas); and chopped cilantro

Warm corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat a grill to medium heat (350 to 400 degrees). Put chiles, tomatillos, and onion in a very large bowl. Drizzle with about 3 tablespooons oil and turn to coat well. Grill vegetables, covered, turning as needed, until softened and charred in spots, about 12 minutes. Let cool.

2. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 6- to 8-quart pot over medium-high heat. In three or four batches, brown pork pieces until golden brown, adding more oil as needed, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer pork with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

3. Stem chiles, but don’t peel or seed them.

4. Return pot to medium heat, then add garlic and cook until pale brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper; let sizzle 1 minute. Stir in grilled vegetables and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes to blend flavors.

5. Add stock, cover pot, and bring to a boil; then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes, covered.

6. In batches, blend vegetables with their liquid, the cilantro, and epazote (if using) until almost smooth. Fill blender no more than half-full and cover blender top with a towel, since hot liquids can spurt up.

7. Pour green chile sauce back into pot, add pork, and simmer, covered, over low heat until pork is very tender, about 1 hour. Season with 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste.

8. Ladle into bowls and top with goat cheese, radishes, pepitas, and chopped cilantro. Serve with tortillas.

Tip: Find epazote, an earthy-tasting, large-leafed herb, at Mexican grocery stores (look for the fresh herb; it has almost no flavor when dried). To warm tortillas, wrap in a kitchen towel and microwave 1 minute.

Sam’s No. 3 Kickin’ Green Chile

Greek immigrant Sam Armatas opened a diner in Denver in 1927 at the intersection of 15th and Curtis streets, near where Sam’s No. 3 now stands, and like many local restaurateurs, he found success with a menu featuring both Greek and Mexican food. Eventually, he started Sam’s, which grew into

three locations in Denver, Glendale and Aurora (that location has since closed). And for decades, one of Denver’s favorite versions of green chile could be found there — so much so that its Kickin’ Pork Green Chile was featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Sam’s green chile originally used flour, but Armatas said his chefs recently switched to masa.

Yield: 5 quarts

INGREDIENTS

25 fresh Hatch green chiles

3 sticks (12 ounces) butter or margarine, plus more for sauteing pork

3 pounds pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 large white onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 3/4 tablespoons ground dry mustard powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons granulated garlic

6 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice

Two 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes

At least 3 fresh jalapenos, diced (optional; can add more depending on desired heat level)

1 cup masa

DIRECTIONS

1. If roasting your own chiles: Preheat an outdoor grill to high. Place the chiles on the grill and cook, turning to cook evenly, until the skins blister and blacken. Remove from the grill and place in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and let the chiles stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the skin, stems and seeds and chop into 1/4-inch pieces.

2. Heat some butter in a large pot and add the cubed pork. Cook about 15 minutes, and then add the onions and spices. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally. When the pork has cooked through, add the fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, green chiles and jalapenos, if using. Stir occasionally.

3. After 5 minutes, add 8 cups water. Bring to a low boil. Stir occasionally. Increase the heat and bring the chile to a rolling or high boil.

4. In a separate pan, melt the butter or margarine and whisk in the masa, stirring until creamy. Slowly add the roux to the chile, stirring constantly, and shut off the heat. Continue to stir so that the roux is evenly distributed. (Roux amount can be adjusted depending on desired consistency or thickness.) Let stand 5 minutes and serve.

Note: Chicken, chorizo or turkey can be substituted for pork, and using just corn and black beans will make it vegetarian.

Chubby’s Green Chile (Copycat)

Perhaps no green chile in Denver has engendered more fans, more notoriety and more debate than the top-secret family recipe created by the late Stella Cordova, who took over what is now The Original Chubby’s Burger Drive-Inn on West 38th Avenue in 1967 and ran it until she died in 2009. Local chile aficionado Anita Edge, who operated a website devoted to the stuff, tried several times to recreate it. Her second attempt has been lauded as a terrific recipe in its own right, and there are hints and tips in the comments as well. In addition to many of the ingredients above, it also calls for sage, cumin, chile powder and even Cholula. Does it replicate Chubby’s? That’s for you to decide. Find her recipe at bit.ly/4hcwT8r.