Chipotle Braised Pork Tacos Recipes

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

BRAISED PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper, to taste, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Pat the pork dry with a paper towel. Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan. Put the pork in the pot and evenly brown the meat all over, it will take about 10 to 12 minutes; remove the pork to a plate and reserve.
• Turn heat down to medium-high, and add the extra-virgin olive oil to the pot, a couple of turns of the pan. Add the onions and garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, the oregano, 1 sliced chili pepper and 2 bay leaves and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the beer, scraping up the bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the chicken stock and orange juice. Add the reserved pork back to the pot (the liquid should come about 2/3 the way up the meat) and bring to a simmer. Cover and put the pork in the oven, turning the meat halfway through cooking, until the meat is very tender, about 2 1/2-3 hours. Remove the pork from the pot, to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat apart with 2 forks.
• Simmer the braising liquid over medium heat until reduced by half. Add the chipotle and adobo sauce and the lime juice. Add about 2/3 of the shredded meat and stir. Cool the remaining shredded pork and chill for another use.
• While the pork is cooking, prepare the pickled red onions: in a small saucepot, bring the white wine vinegar, sugar, teaspoon of salt, remaining chili pepper and bay leaves to a simmer over low heat. Put the sliced red onions in a small sealable container. Carefully pour the hot liquid over the onions, cover and give it a shake. You may need to lift the lid to release some of the pressure. Every now and then, give it a good shake. Refrigerate to cool.
• To serve, put the chipotle pulled pork on a platter and garnish with pickled onions and pickled jalapeno slices. Serve with shredded cabbage, crumbled cheese and tortillas for wrapping.

HEALTHY GRILLED CHIPOTLE PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Combine the cilantro, lime juice, oil, chile powder and garlic in a large dish. Add the pork slices and turn to coat; let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Remove the pork from the marinade and discard the remaining marinade. Sprinkle the pork all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Grill, turning once, until browned and still a little rosy inside, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.
• Grill the tortillas, turning once, until grill marks appear and the tortillas are softened, about 1 minute. Transfer to individual plates. Spread each tortilla with some sour cream. Divide the pork and avocado among the tortillas. Top each taco with salsa and sprinkle with cilantro sprigs. Serve with lime wedges.

GRILLED CHIPOTLE PORK TACOS WITH RED SLAW

Steps:

• For the pork: Combine the cilantro, lime juice, oil, chile powder, garlic and onions in a large dish. Add the pork slices and turn to coat. Preheat a grill on medium-high heat.
• For the red slaw: Combine the cabbage, cilantro, oil, vinegar, chile powder, bell peppers, red onions and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss to mix and set aside.
• Remove the pork from the marinade and discard the remaining marinade. Sprinkle the pork on both sides with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, until browned and still a little rosy inside, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.
• Grill the tortillas, turning once, until grill marks appear and the tortillas are softened, about 1 minute. Transfer to individual plates. Divide the pork and a little slaw among the tortillas. Top each tortilla with a teaspoon of sour cream and serve with lime wedges.

CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL BRAISED PORK SHOULDER RECIPE

Steps:

• Generously salt and pepper the pork shoulder; let meat come to room temperature, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Add olive oil to a large ovenproof pan. Sear the pork over medium-high heat until very brown on all sides. Remove pork from the pan; let rest on a platter for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Leaving an even coating, drain excess oil from the pan. Add onions; sweat over low heat until translucent. Return pork to the pan; add remaining ingredients. Cover pan, place in the oven and cook for 2 to 3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 140 to 150 degrees F. Let pork rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
• Use as burrito/taco meat or you can serve with vegetables and potatoes.

SLOW-COOKER CHIPOTLE-ORANGE PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Rub pork all over with 2 Tbsp. salt. Let sit at room temperature 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix oregano, brown sugar, chili powder, cinnamon, orange zest, and remaining 2 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Rub all over pork, then transfer pork to slow cooker insert. Add orange juice, lime juice, and garlic, then toss to coat. Cook on high 8 hours or on low 10 hours until pork is super-tender and falls apart easily when raked with a fork.
• Using tongs, transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool slightly. Strain juices left in slow cooker through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heatproof measuring cup or bowl. Let sit 10 minutes, then spoon off and discard fat. Transfer 1/2 cup juices to a resealable container and chill to use in Chile-Orange Pork Stir-Fry.
• Using 2 forks or tongs, shred meat into bite-size pieces, discarding any larger pieces of fat. Transfer 2 cups meat to a resealable container and chill for Chile-Orange Pork Stir-Fry, or reserve for another use. Return remaining meat (you should have about 6 cups) to slow cooker along with 1 cup strained juices. Keep warm until ready to use.
• Serve shredded pork with tortillas, sour cream, cilantro, onions, and hot sauce for assembling tacos.
• Do Ahead
• Pork can be marinated 1 day ahead. Cover slow cooker insert with plastic and chill. Pork can be cooked 3 days ahead. Shred, then chill in an airtight container along with juices; rewarm gently before serving.