Dark Days Challenge: Shredded Pork Tacos

Tacos are in heavy rotation at our house since they are one of Mark’s all time favorite meals. We alternate between chicken, refried black beans, fish, shrimp and ground turkey but since it’s been so cold lately, a nice slow-cooked pork shoulder seemed just about right. The pork takes about 4 hours to cook making this an ideal choice for a casual winter weekend meal. Everyone loves to create their own taco masterpiece, piling on their favorite combination of toppings.

Ingredients for the Pork:

• 2 1/2 Lbs Pork Shoulder
• 2 Ancho Chiles – Soaked in 2 Cups of Hot Water
• 1 Medium Onion – Chopped
• 4 Garlic Cloves – Chopped
• 1 Tbsp Chipotle in Adobo
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 1 Tbsp Dried Cumin
• 1 Tbsp Maple Sugar or Maple Syrup
• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Canola Oil
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper

Ingredients for the Tacos:

• 12 Corn Tortillas
• 1 Cup Queso Blanco - Grated
• 1 Handful Cilantro Leaves
• 1 Lime – Cut into Wedges
• 1/4 Head of Cabbage – Finely Shredded

* Optional additional toppings: Sour Cream, Guacamole, Hot Sauce, Pico de Gallo, Pickled Jalapenos or Pickled Red Onions.

Directions for the Pork:

Preheat the oven to 300°. Place the pork shoulder in a Dutch oven or casserole dish. Remove the Ancho chiles from the water, reserving the soaking water, coarsely chop them and place them in a food processor along with the onion, garlic, chipotle in adobo, paprika, cumin, maple sugar, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Process into a puree adding a little of the soaking water if needed.

Thoroughly coat the pork shoulder with the puree. Then pour the reserved chile soaking water over the pork. Cover and place in the oven for 4 hours, turning the pork every hour.

Transfer the pork to a large bowl and pull it into shreds using 2 forks. Discard any fatty pieces and bones. Return the shredded pork to the pot and return to the oven for 20 minutes while you char the tortillas.

Heat a cast iron skillet over med-high heat. One at a time, place each tortilla into the dry skillet for 1-2 minutes per side or until speckled with black char marks. Keep the charred tortillas warm on a plate with a clean dishcloth over them.

Remove the pork from the oven and transfer to a serving bowl, spooning the sauce over the top.

To serve, place a spoonful of the shredded pork in the center of a tortilla, squeeze a little lime juice over the pork and sprinkle with a few cilantro leaves. Top with some Queso Blanco and shredded cabbage.

Makes 12 tacos but can easily be doubled.

Sources:

• Pork Shoulder – Stannard Farm
• Onion – Esopus Creek Farm
• Garlic – Hearty Roots Farm
• Paprika – Bradley Farm 
• Ancho Chiles – Home Dried Poblano Peppers from Brittany Hollow Farm
• Maple Sugar – Adirondack Maple Farms, Fonda, NY
• Queso Blanco – Amazing Real Live Food Co.
• Cabbage – Norwich Meadows Farm 
• Pickled Red Onions – Homemade Gift from my Dad <3

* I had planned on making the corn tortillas from scratch using Wild Hive Farm Corn Flour but after some investigation, I realized that Masa Harina was really necessary for making proper corn tortillas. Masa Harina is made from Posole not corn, so the substitution of corn flour wasn’t going to work. So, we resorted to store bought corn tortillas instead.