I promised tacos all over the Internet the other day and have yet to follow through. The thing is, this pork was still kicking around until yesterday, when I made the third thing on this glorious list of foodstuffs below. Each preparation was fantastic, but the meat itself is insanely versatile and would be well suited in a sandwich, or over rice noodles with some soy sauce.
Another hold up was that the main ingredient other than pork in this recipe is mango habanero hot sauce, which we made yesterday. Don't let this deter you-- it's worth the minimal effort to whip up a batch. But if you're pressed for time, throw in some standard hot sauce and a bit of broth or beer to thin it up. The key is a fair amount of salt and a very low and slow session in the slow cooker. This will shred apart and be delightful in whatever you cook up.
What it's Made of:
- 3lb or so bone-in pork shoulder
- 1 large onion, quartered
- Mango Habanero hot sauce
- Light Beer or chicken broth
How it's Made:
- Combine pork, fat side up, and onions in slow cooker, pour in a healthy amount of hot sauce (about 1/4 cup or so), and splash in 1/4 cup of beer or broth
- Cover and cook on lowest setting for 8-10 hours
- Remove pork from slow cooker and shred with two forks, discarding the fat. Discard bones, then pour out remaining liquid into a bowl. Return shredded pork to the slow cooker, and moisten with the reserved cooking liquid by the ladle-full, until the pork is sufficiently moistened without being too loose. Taste and adjust seasonings, or fire up some tortillas and gobble it up!
So which one of these bad boys will it be? I'll walk you through the easy process for each... The tacos involve quick-pickling some veggies (worth it. Look at those adorable pink radishes up there), and the taquitos get some chipotle black beans to go with the pork, but the nachos are obviously the winner because all you need are cheese and chips and your mountain of pulled pork and whatever the hell else you want to get rid of in your fridge.
For the Pickled Vegetables:
- 4 or so large limes, you'll need 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1.5 cups distilled white vinegar
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 medium jicama, peeled and sliced into long sticks
- 1 large seedless cucumber, sliced into long sticks
- 2 jalapeño peppers, sliced thin
- 1 bunch radishes, sliced thin
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
Combine lime juice, vinegar, salt and sugar and stir to dissolve. Arrange vegetables and peppercorns in jars and pour the liquid over. Seal and shake to distribute, then refrigerate for an hour or so (or as much as two days) leading up to the tacos
For the Tacos:
- Corn tortillas
- EVOO
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Sour cream and lime wedges, to serve
This is my quick and possibly ghetto way of getting tacos on the table quickly. I rub corn tortillas with a bit of olive oil, crank on our gas stove, and lay the tortillas directly on the burner for about twenty seconds per side, flipping often with tongs. I let them get scorched in a few places but mostly you just want them heated up, not burnt to a crisp. I drain them on paper towels before serving, it's always the easiest way.
Next up!
For the Chipotle Black Beans:
- EVOO
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 16oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon chopped chipotles in adobo sauce (just the sauce is fine, or chop up one of the peppers if you like)
- Ground cumin
- Chicken broth or light beer
For the Taquitos
- Corn tortillas, quickly fried (see note)
- Pulled pork
- Chipotle black beans
- Shredded monterey jack cheese
- Sour cream, cilantro, and lime wedges, for serving
To make the tortillas pliable and not break, you could microwave them for a few seconds-- but we don't play the nuclear cooking game up in this house, so I fry mine quickly in oil before building. Just heat a thin layer of vegetable or canola oil in a fry pan and drop in a tortilla at a time, flipping once, for about ten seconds. Drain and cool on paper towels until you're ready to work. Then, just, assemble, as this handy dandy Instagram from the other night will demonstrate, and bake at 350 until they're nice and golden brown.
I go more in depth on my taquito exploits in this post from last year, but basically-- these are always a hit. I make them for nearly every party and social gathering because they're so very simple. Most of the time, I bake them off at home and then warm them in a 200 degree oven at my destination. They travel easily, hold up well, and fill a crowd. Make taquitos. Your friends will like you for it.
Finally, there's this--
Finally, there's this--
When it was almost gone and I wasn't sure we would even do anything else with the few lone bites of shredded pork, I remembered we had fresh chips from the Vallarta, and this was the next logical step. Also, I really wanted to build the nacho GIF below. No recipe for this, just use whatever you got and be sure to layer that shit strategically. I also used a combo of cheddar and mozzarella cheese for maximum gooeyness. Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden and delicious. Garnish with whatever you got. Eat right outta the skillet.
ENJOY! Consider this my mic drop:
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