Braised Pork Tacos Recipes

WINE-BRAISED PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Add the onions to the drippings in the pot; cook, stirring, until golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the carrot, celery, garlic and jalapeno in a food processor. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Pat the pork dry. Season with salt and pepper. Warm the olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the pork on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer the meat to a plate.
• Add the carrot mixture to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes. Stir in the onions and tomato paste; cook 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil, then simmer until reduced by half, about 8 minutes.
• Return the bacon and pork to the pot. Squeeze in the orange juice, then add the spent peel. Add the oregano, bay leaves and enough stock to reach the top of the pork. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook about 3 hours.
• Transfer the pork to a bowl using tongs, then shred. Season with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce and return to the pot; add the solids to the bowl with the meat (discard the bay leaves and orange peel). Boil the sauce over high heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Fill the tortillas with the pork; drizzle with the sauce and top with the cheese and slaw.
• Fennel Slaw:
• Mix 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 minced jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano and cumin, and some fennel fronds in a large bowl. Toss with 2 thinly sliced fennel bulbs, 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage, 4 sliced scallions, 4 strips crumbled bacon, and salt and pepper.

CHIPOTLE-BRAISED PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with some salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cilantro stems and cook, stirring once or twice, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, chipotle and adobo sauce.
• Season the pork with some salt, add it to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring once or twice, until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beer, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the chicken stock and lime zest and juice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, using your hands, shape the masa into 6 even balls. Cut some wax paper into a few squares slightly larger than the tortilla press. Spray 2 pieces with some nonstick spray. Sandwich a ball of masa between the pieces of wax paper, sprayed sides against the dough, and press to flatten. Remove the tortilla and set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough, using new pieces of wax paper if necessary.
• Heat a cast-iron griddle or pan over medium-high heat and cook the tortillas until golden brown, about 30 seconds per side. Keep warm while you finish the pork.
• Taste the pork and adjust the seasoning as needed. Fold some pork in each tortilla and top with the queso fresco, some cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

BRAISED PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Put the chiles into a small bowl and cover with hot water; set aside. In a large heavy bottomed pan with a tight fitting lid, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil. Generously season the pork with salt and pepper. Brown the meat well on both sides, about 5 minutes per side; remove the meat and set aside. Add the onion, pepper, garlic, cumin, thyme, and bay leaf; fry until softened, about 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits in the pan. Stem and seed the soaked chiles reserving the soaking liquid; hand tear them into the pot. Return the meat to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Top the meat with the tomatoes. Pour in the chili soaking liquid, straining out any seeds, until it almost covers the meat; add water if you need more liquid. Squeeze the orange and lime juices into the pot and add the rinds. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the pork is very tender. Remove the meat to a platter and cover to keep warm. Strain the braising liquid and reserve.
• Shred the pork. Add some of the reserved braising liquid if the meat is dry. Take a tortilla and place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture on top. Garnish with the avocado, radishes, and Salsa Verde; fold the sides up and serve.
• Put the masa harina in a bowl and mix in the salt. Add about 1 cup warm water and mix with your hands; add more water as needed until the dough comes together. Knead for a few minutes to smooth the dough out. The dough should be firm and springy and should not stick to your hands. Test by forming a small disk, if it cracks around the edges you need more water.
• Place a piece of heavy plastic (like from a garbage bag) onto a tortilla press. Form a 1 1/2-inch ball of dough and place it in the center of the press. Top with another piece of plastic, close the press, and push the lever down to form the tortilla. (Alternately, the dough balls can be rolled between plastic sheets with a rolling pin.) Open the press and remove the top layer of plastic. Carefully peel the tortilla off the bottom plastic and place it onto a hot, ungreased cast iron skillet; cook for about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the tortilla and place it on a clean tea towel; keep it covered to keep it soft and pliable. Continue until you have used up all the dough.
• Yield: 20 (6-inch) tortillas
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the tomatillos are soft but have not burst. Add the cooked vegetables to a blender with the cilantro leaves and lime juice. Pour in 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and process to a coarse puree. Taste and adjust seasoning with more cilantro, lime juice, or salt.
• Yield: 2 cups