Smoked Chile Verde
On April 08, 2025
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This Smoked Chile Verde is incredibly simple to make and off-the-charts delicious. Eat it straight off the bone, or serve it in tacos, burritos, on nachos and so much more. Save this recipe for later, it’s a keeper.
Pulled Pork Chile Verde
Today’s recipe is a pulled pork chile verde that gets cooked low and slow on the smoker before finishing in a tangy, flavorful green chile braise. We’re taking a bone-in pork shoulder (AKA Boston butt), seasoning it up, smoking it to perfection, and then braising it in a trio of green sauces until it’s fall-apart tender.
This pulled pork chile verde is incredible in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, and sandwiches. I like mine with a squeeze of lime, a warm tortilla, chopped red onions, sour cream, and cilantro. There’s no wrong way to enjoy it. The sky’s the limit.
What is Chile Verde?
At its core, chile verde is a stew made from tender pork or beef simmered in a savory green sauce. That green sauce is built from a base of tomatillos and green chile peppers. You can adjust the heat to your liking, and there are tons of regional variations depending on where you’re cooking or who you’re cooking for.
If you search around, you’ll see it spelled “chile” or “chili.” The “chili” version tends to reference a meat-and-bean stew, while “chile verde” more traditionally refers to the green chile-based sauce. And while beans are usually left out of chile verde, that rich, roasted chile flavor and tender meat are always the stars of the show.
From traditional Mexican recipes to modern American BBQ takes, chile verde shows up in all kinds of ways. This smoked pulled pork version brings that slow-smoked BBQ flavor into the mix in the best way.
Chile Verde Sauce
This pulled pork gets its flavor boost from a simple but delicious combination of three store-bought green sauces:
- 28-ounce can green chile enchilada sauce
- 4-ounce can fire roasted diced green chiles (choose your heat level)
- 12-ounce can salsa verde green tomatillo sauce (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
This trio makes the perfect braising liquid. Just open the cans and pour them over your pork before covering and finishing the cook.
How to Make Smoked Chile Verde
With only 5 ingredients, this smoked chile verde is simple to make and requires little more than seasoning your meat, watching your smoker temp, and giving it a little bit of time.
- Preheat the smoker. Set your smoker to 225 degrees F. For a bold, smoky flavor, go with mesquite wood. For something milder, alder or hickory work great too.
- Season the pork. Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture or bone fragments. Season generously on all sides with my Signature Beef Seasoning. If you don’t have any on hand, you can grab some in my store. Or, you can mix equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic powder for a simple DIY rub.
- Smoke low and slow. Place the pork shoulder directly on the grill grates and smoke for 8 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 160–165 degrees F. A reliable meat thermometer is your best friend here.
- Braise in sauce. Transfer the pork to a disposable aluminum pan. Pour all three sauces directly over the pork. Cover tightly with heavy-duty foil, sealing all the edges to trap in the moisture and flavor.
- Crank the heat. Raise your smoker temperature to 350 degrees F and return the pan to the smoker. Cook for another 2–3 hours, until the internal temp of the pork hits 195–203 degrees F.
- Rest and shred. Remove the pork from the smoker and let it rest, covered, for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then, shred the meat straight into the sauce, discarding the bone, gristle, and any excess fat. Taste and season with additional salt if needed.
Storage and Reheating
If you’ve got leftovers, this smoked chile verde stores like a dream and reheats beautifully. Once the pork cools to room temperature, transfer it (along with that flavorful sauce!) to an airtight container. Place it in your refrigerator, then can enjoy your chile verde for 3-4 more days.
When reheating your chile verde, I’ve found the best results using the grill or smoker. Set your grill to medium-low heat, place the pork and sauce in a foil pan, and heat until warmed through, about 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also reheat it on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
Can you freeze chile verde?
Your Smoked Chile Verde is a great make-ahead meal. If you’ve got extra, you can stash some away and freeze it for later. Once again, let the pork and sauce cool completely, then portion into freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags. Lay the bags flat for easier storage. Label with the date and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then follow the reheating instructions above. Just like that, fresh chile verde.
More Mexican-Inspired BBQ Recipes
I love a good Tex-Mex or Mexican-inspired BBQ dish. Sometimes you just can’t beat those bold, spicy, sweet flavors. Check out a few more of my favorites when you’re in the mood for something with a kick:
Don’t forget these recipes (plus over 700 more) are all available in the Hey Grill Hey App.
Smoked Chile Verde Recipe
Watch the video below, and let’s make something delicious! I’m all about helping you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a BBQ hero Check out more Hey Grill Hey behind the scenes action on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube!
Smoked Chile Verde
Video
Ingredients
- 1 8-10 pound bone-in pork shoulder (AKA Boston butt)
- Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub
Braising Liquid
- 1 28-oz can green chile enchilada sauce choose mild or spicy based on your flavor preferences
- 1 4-oz can fire roasted diced green chiles choose mild or spicy based on your flavor preferences
- 1 12-oz can smoked salsa verde
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker. Set your smoker to 225 degrees F. For a bold smoke flavor, go with mesquite wood, for a milder flavor, I recommend using alder or hickory.
- Season the pork. Using a paper towel, wipe down your pork shoulder to remove any excess liquid from the packaging or bone fragments from the meat. Season on all sides with my Signature Beef Seasoning or equal amounts of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.1 8-10 pound bone-in pork shoulder (AKA Boston butt), Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub
- Smoke the pork. Place your seasoned pork shoulder directly on the grill grates. Close the lid, and smoke for 8 hours or until the internal temperature of your meat reaches 160-165 degrees F.
- Make the braise. Remove the pork from the smoker and place in disposable aluminum pan. Pour all ingredients for the braising liquid over the pork. Cover tightly with a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and seal all edges.1 28-oz can green chile enchilada sauce, 1 4-oz can fire roasted diced green chiles, 1 12-oz can smoked salsa verde
- Increase the heat and finish smoking. Increase the heat on your smoker to 350 degrees F. Place the pork shoulder back on the smoker for 2-3 hours. Cook until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 195-203 degrees F.
- Rest the pork. Remove the pork from the smoker and allow to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Shred, serve, and enjoy! Remove the aluminum foil, and shred the pork straight into the liquid, removing the bone and any gristle or excess fat. Taste and season with additional salt, as needed. This meat is versatile and can be eaten like a stew, served in burritos, tacos, on nachos however you like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**I originally published this post in October 2019, but recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. However, the recipe remains the same.
I was so excited to try this and it did NOT disappoint! Served in small tortillas with cheese and pico with a side of homemade Spanish rice and beans. For those questioning approx times using a smaller cut, My pork roast was slightly under 4#, the initial step took 2.5 hours to reach 165 at 225, second step took 1.5 hours to reach 201 at 350. Beautiful smoke layer, the flavors of smoke (I used Hickory) and chili verde really compliment each other. Another winning recipe from Hey Grill Hey!
Hi can we do this in the oven also and if so are the temperature the same as if you were doing it on the smoker please if you could get back to me that would be great
Yes, you can follow the same time and temperature guidelines. You’ll lose some of that smoky flavor, but it will still be delicious.
Tried this and all of the Chile verde sauce was burned black. I followed the instructions. Not sure what happened.
Love this with tortilla for street tacos,Then make enchiladas put it the left overs!!!!!excellent
Going to try this recipe this weekend but have a question. I’m sure you get this asked a lot. Should the butt go on the smoker fat cap up or down? Always afraid the meat will get too crusty when down for that long. Cooking on a YS640S. Thanks in advance.
Put the fat cap between the meat and the heat, whatever orientation that ends up being. It’ll help protect the meat throughout the cook and will render better.
This is ridiculously the best item I have ever made or found. The only thing I do different is add sliced Serrano peppers during the braze and insert garlic cloves to the pork butt during the smoking.
This is exactly what I do and almost lose my mind every time.
Love this recipe. Pair it with some HEB flour tortillas and you have the best tacos ever.
I followed the instructions and the result was probably the very best thing I’ve ever cooked. Used hickory, smoked for 8 hours. Absolutely incredible and so easy. Any wait to make for guests. Don’t doubt, just do it! You will not be sorry. Thank you Hey Grill, Hey!
I have friends who do not eat pork so I have combined this recipe and the methods from your Hey Grill Hey Chuck Roast Pulled Beef recipe and it is always a hit. Wrap it up with some cheddar or pepper.jack in fresh tortillas. It is fantastic!