Smoked Rancher’s Pie with Cherry Wood Pork and Green Chile Braise
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Rancher’s Pie is rooted in ranch cooking, where meals were built around fire, time, and heavy iron that could handle both. Dutch ovens and cast iron skillets were everyday tools, trusted to move from smoke to heat to table without hesitation. This dish pulls from that history and carries it forward through cherry wood smoke, green chile, and pork cooked low and slow before being finished with care.
Country style pork ribs replace lamb, bringing richness that holds up to smoke and long braising. Cherry wood provides a soft, balanced smoke that complements pork without overpowering it. That same smoke carries through the dish, echoed in the potatoes, which are cooked in cherry wood smoked salt and finished with butter for color and texture.
Rancher’s Pie is meant to be served straight from cast iron. It is deliberate, comforting, and built to feed people well. This is Western cooking shaped by fire and patience, finished without shortcuts.
Rancher’s Pie with Cherry Wood Smoked Pork and Whipped Potatoes
Rated 5.0 stars by 8 users
Category
Main Dish
Cuisine
American
Author: Glenn Connaughton
Servings
6
Calories
705
Rancher’s Pie follows the structure of shepherd’s pie but is reworked through Western fire cooking. Country style pork ribs are used because they take smoke well and become tender and rich during a long braise. Smoking the pork low allows cherry wood to stay clean and balanced while building flavor.
After smoking, the pork is braised in a cast iron Dutch oven with vegetables and chicken stock. This step breaks down the meat while creating a rich base that carries the entire dish. The pork naturally pulls apart during the braise, giving the finished pie structure without becoming shredded.
The potatoes are treated as a true finishing element. After boiling in cherry wood smoked salt, they are passed through a tamis, enriched with butter and milk, and whipped until smooth and fluffy. Butter is also added on top before finishing to promote even browning under the broiler.
Ingredients
Smoked Pork
- 6 country style pork ribs, approximately 4 1/2 pounds total
-
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground green chile
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon light chile powder
Green Chile Braise
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 2 roasted green chiles, diced, or two 4-ounce cans diced roasted green chiles
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 1 whole roasted red pepper, diced
Whipped Potatoes
-
6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 stick unsalted butter, divided
- 1/4 cup whole milk
-
1 tablespoon Cherry wood smoked salt
Directions
- Prepare the cooker: Set up your Weber Smoky Mountain or offset smoker for indirect cooking at 225 degrees Fahrenheit using cherry wood, placing two chunks approximately 3 inches by 3 inches each on the fire.
- Season the pork: Combine the black pepper, cane sugar, ground cumin, ground green chile, granulated garlic, granulated onion, kosher salt, and light chile powder. Season the country style pork ribs evenly on all sides.
- Smoke the pork: Place the pork ribs on the smoker and cook at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours to develop smoke flavor.
- Cube the pork: Remove the smoked pork ribs from the smoker and cut them into roughly 2-inch pieces, discarding any excess bone fragments.
- Begin the braise: Transfer the cubed pork to a cast iron Dutch oven. Add the chicken stock, green chiles, carrot, celery, white onion, and roasted red pepper. Cover with the lid.
- Braise the pork: Increase the cooker temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Return the covered Dutch oven to the smoker and braise for 3 hours until the pork is tender and fully integrated with the vegetables and liquid. If your smoker cannot reliably maintain 300 degrees, transfer the covered Dutch oven to a 300 degree Fahrenheit oven and braise for the same duration.
- Cook the potatoes: During the braise, place the potatoes in a pot of water seasoned with cherry wood smoked salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender.
- Process the potatoes: Drain the potatoes and press them through a fine mesh strainer or tamis.
- Finish the potatoes: Add 3/4 stick of butter and the milk to the potatoes, then whip until smooth and fluffy.
- Assemble the pie: Transfer the pork and vegetable braise to a cast iron skillet or leave it in the Dutch oven if shallow enough, spreading it evenly across the bottom.
- Top with potatoes: Pipe the whipped potatoes evenly over the pork mixture.
- Add butter: Cut the remaining 1/4 stick of butter into small cubes and distribute evenly over the potatoes.
- Broil to finish: Broil for about 8 minutes, moving the dish as needed to evenly brown the potatoes.
- Rest before serving: Let the Rancher’s Pie rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Note
Rancher’s Pie reflects the values that define Colorado barbecue. Fire is respected. Iron is trusted. Food is built to feed people well. Cooking this dish from smoke to braise to finish in cast iron is not about nostalgia. It is about using tools that work and letting time do its job.
This recipe is part of The New Smoke of the West, a Colorado-born approach to barbecue rooted in fire, altitude, independence, and regional flavor. To understand the philosophy behind this series and how it shapes every recipe, read the source article here:
https://revolutionbbq.com/blogs/news/the-new-smoke-of-the-west-defining-colorado-barbecue
Discover more Colorado-inspired recipes at Revolution Barbecue Recipes.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation
Serving Size
1 serving (430 grams)
Calories 705,
Fat
39 grams,
Polyunsaturated Fat
6 milligrams,
Monounsaturated Fat
18 milligrams,
Carbs
44 grams,
Protein
43 grams,
Potassium
1280 milligrams,
Fiber
6 grams,
Sodium
830 milligrams,
Sugar
6 grams,
Iron
4 milligrams
