Sunday, March 1, 2009

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos




I have been obsessed with trying new pork recipes ever since we had these pulled pork sandwiches at my sister Erica's. I totally loved them and have never had much pork in the past, so I've gotten really curious about pork recipes. I love any shredded meat in tacos and burritos and when I saw these slow-cooker pork tacos, I knew they were a must try. The Food Network has put out a new magazine and I found the recipe there. I picked up the Feb./March edition at the grocery store and it has some tasty looking things.




This is my adaption of the recipe - didn't change too much except for the original recipe called for ancho chilies and pasilla chilies. My grocery store didn't have pasillas so I didn't get those. I also got thinking that the 6 chilies called for were too many chilies. There are also chipotles in adobo in the recipe so I knew the meat would have plenty of flavor. I opted for only one ancho chile and I think it's perfect.




Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos
Food Network Magazine (with adaptions)

1 whole ancho chile (any large, mild chile would work - I used a poblano before too)
4 cloves peeled garlic
2 to 3 chipotles in adobo sauce (I used 2 - you could also use just one)
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
Kosher salt
2 tsp. dried oregano
3 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder (I used a pork sirloin roast)
Freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
Corn tortillas, warmed, for serving (We made burritos with yummy uncooked flour tortillas!)
Toppings such as cilantro, sour cream, cheese, avocado, lettuce, etc.

Put the chile and garlic on a paper plate and microwave about 45 seconds until soft and pliable. Stem and seed the chile; cut into big chunks. Transfer garlic and chile to a blender. Add the chipotles, onion, 2 tbsp. olive oil, honey, vinegar, 1 tbsp. salt and the oregano to the blender; puree until smooth.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over high heat; add the chile sauce and fry, stirring, until thick and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Pour in the broth and reduce until slightly thickened.




Season the pork all over with salt and pepper and transfer to a large slow cooker. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, then pour in the sauce. Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 5 hours. You can play with this a little - the first time I made it I cooked it on low for probably 8 hours. The second time I cooked it for about 4 hours on high and 2 hours on low.

Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Shred the pork with 2 forks; season with salt and pepper. Serve the shredded pork in the tortillas, along with the toppings.

8 comments:

Jer and Cam said...

Wow!!! I love your new blog!!! I can't wait to try this recipe - I love slow cooker anything! I'm so glad that now I'll have all of your yummy recipes at my fingertips! Keep em comin! And the pics look fab!

BTW, I just tried to post a comment on your regular blog and it wouldn't let me!! I'll try again later!

Amy said...

I love pulled pork anything! How come you didn't know how awesome and AFFORDABLE pork is?

Erica said...

Interesting combination with the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and chilies. Sounds very authentic. Might have to try this one. We love watching the food network. Maybe one day you could be on Ultimate Recipe Showdown! Keep this adaptation up and you will be on your way.

Donette said...

This looks really good - Tyler and my kids love pulled pork anything! Thanks for posting!

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