ISO: ISO t&t non beef cinco de Mayo worthy taco recipe

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mariadnoca

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Turns out BFF is coming to town and we realized it will be Cinco de Mayo. This must be fate because Mexican food is our favorite. However, we don’t want to try to face going out for Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo. She is requesting tacos, though doesn’t eat beef, and honestly I’ve only really made ground beef style or Carnitas. Given it’s only the two of us, Carnitas would be leftovers for days and I have the world’s smallest freezer. I’m sure I could pluck a recipe off the web, but wanted to see if anyone here had a favorite first.

 
I recently used my favorite Carne Asada recipe with a pork tenderloin instead of beef. It was delicious! And tenderloins come in packs of two around here, so there's not a ton of leftovers.

This Carne Asada Recipe from Sam The Cooking Guy is awesome. All I add is 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar and a little bit of salt, especially since I use lower salt Kikkoman soy sauce. Other than that, it tastes just like So-Cal taco shop carne asada.

I butterflied the pork tenderloins and pounded them flat, so they were about 1/2" thick. Marinate for 4 hours and grill over hot coals.

Carne Asada (Sam The Cooking Guy)

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch cilantro (no stems) finely chopped

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon each Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup neutral oil

Zest & juice of one lime

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 pounds skirt, flap or flank steak (I like skirt and flap)

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients except the steak- mix well

Put steak and marinade into a large zippered bag, zip shut, and squish around to make sure steak is well covered.

Refrigerate 1-4 hours.

Heat grill to high and grill steak approximately 5 minutes a side or as necessary until approx 130 degrees.

Remove from grill, cover with foil and let rest about 10 minutes before cutting across the grain (very important btw) and serving.

 
I did the Kenji's Barbacoa in tacos last night. I can put away a few of them, easily. Not sure if you meant that you would not do beef.

 
Again, sorry to be posting without having tried this NYTimes Slow Cooker Pork Tacos recipe (Sam Sifton), but it has 5 star rating with 2,218 reviews. It uses a 5 lb pork shoulder, but the whole recipe looks like it can be reduced by half at least.

Enjoy the visit!!

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos With Hoisin and Ginger

INGREDIENTSFOR THE PORK:

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 medium-size yellow onion, peeledand diced

8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeledand minced

½ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup fish sauce

1 tablespoon sriracha sauce

½ bone-in pork shoulder, skin andfat removed, approximately 5pounds

2 to 16 flour tortillas, warmed

FOR THE SLAW:

⅓ cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons neutral oil, like peanutor grapeseed

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, or totaste

PREPARATIONYIELD 6 to 8 servings

TIME 5 to 7 hours

Step 1Prepare the pork: Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat. After aminute or so, swirl in the sesame oil and then the onions, stirring tocombine. Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and continueto cook until the onions are soft and becoming translucent. Turn offthe heat, stir in the ginger and set aside.

Step 2Add the hoisin sauce and the fish sauce to the pan, and stir to combine,loosening the mixture with a little less than half a cup of water. Addsriracha sauce to taste.

Step 3Put a few spoonfuls of the sauce in the bottom of a slow cooker, thennestle the pork on top of it. Pour the remaining sauce over the top ofthe pork. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, oruntil the pork shreds easily with a fork. Remove the pork from the slowcooker and allow to rest for a few minutes. To make the dish in a covered dutch oven, cook in a 325-350 degree oven for 4 or5 hours, or until the meat shreds easily from the bone.

Step 4Meanwhile, make the slaw: Put the vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, neutraloil and sriracha sauce in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add thecabbage, cucumbers, carrots and Asian pear and toss to combine.

Step 5Shred the pork with a pair of forks. Discard bones. Return the pulledpork to the slow cooker and stir to combine with the juices. Serve withthe slaw and warmed tortillas, with the cilantro on the side.

 
I am trying to respond but once I edit my response twice, it disappears and WILL NOT return. It wasn't noteworthy anyway, of course.

hmmmmm

 
That looks good, but I don’t think I could buy a smaller cut of pork to half the recipe. I might just have to give some to the neighbors because: world’s smallest freezer. 🤷‍♀️

 
Also, Melissa in Dallas' Poblano Chicken is excellent, and a swap favorite.

Chicken in Poblano Cream Sauce
Melissa in Dallas

4 poblanos, roasted, peeled, seeded, rough chopped
1/2 cup milk
4 T. butter, divided use
2 T. flour
1 clove or more minced garlic

1 cup Mexican Crema
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup shredded manchego, Monterrey jack or mozarella (I'm using queso quesadilla)
1 T. minced cilantro.


Puree chiles with milk in blender.

Make roux with 2 T. of butter and flour, cook until slightly brown.

Stir in chile puree and garlic. Cook until slightly thickened.

Turn down heat and add crema. Heat until it GENTLY simmers.

Meanwhile, coat chicken with remaining 2 T. flour. Brown chicken in large skillet with 2 T. butter, 4 minutes to a side on medium high heat.

Put in buttered baking dish, top with sauce and shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes until chicken is done.

Garnish with minced cilantro.

 
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