Tuesday nights around here have become pierogie night. No, I'm not crazy enough to make those things week in and week out, but we have found a place that makes them homemade for $0.25 a pierogie. Seriously. You really can't beat that, especially when everything is made in-house (not some store-bought Mrs. T's -- that's right, I'm looking at you McFadden's). And they have an awesome beer selection, which keeps Adam happy (eh, who am I kidding, he's the reason we go in the first place).
Every once in a while we venture away from the pierogies and order something else. Sometimes it's the brisket, but other times we go for the pulled pork tacos. So, no surprise when Adam suggested a few weeks ago that I try replicating those tacos at home. I was a bit leery as I actually haven't had them in a while, so I was struggling with what flavors exactly I was dealing with. So I stopped trying. Instead of trying to duplicate a dish I hadn't had in a while, I decided to just go for some regular ol' pulled pork tacos, nothing fancy.
Pulled Pork Tacos
Adapted from: , February 2009
2 cups salsa
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder (pork butt), trimmed
10 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
In a medium bowl, mix together salsa, chili powder, oregano, and cocoa powder. Pour into a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Slice the pork in half, then place in the slow cooker, turning to coat.
Cook, without raising the lid, for 7-8 hours on low (or 4-5 hours on high), or until pork is tender and pulls apart easily. Shred the pork with two forks and stir into the cooking liquid.
Warm the tortillas in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel for 30 seconds. Serve tacos topped with the cilantro and sour cream.
Serves: 5
Maybe I should have gone for fancy. While these weren't bad, they just left a lot to be desired. I'm not sure if I just had too much sour cream on mine, but I was struggling to find the flavor in the pulled pork. It just wasn't doing it for me. The sauce needs a little something-something to wake it up a bit, because the salsa/oregano/cocoa powder combo just wasn't cutting it. Maybe some jalapeños? A little cayenne pepper? I'm not sure, but I know I will not be making this exact recipe again, which is too bad considering this took all of maybe 5 minutes to throw together and smelled delicious while cooking.
| Nutrition Facts | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories 665 | Calories from fat 224 |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 24.9g | 38% |
| Saturated Fat 10.1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol 224mg | 75% |
| Sodium 823mg | 34% |
| Total Carbs 33.4g | 11% |
| Dietary Fiber 7.2g | 29% |
| Sugars 4.0g | |
| Protein 77.0g | |
| Vitamin A 33% | Vitamin C 11% |
| Calcium 19% | Iron 30% |
I really loved pulled pork in tacos, I think it is a great change of pace from the usual beef or chicken!
ReplyDeleteLove pulled pork, love tacos. Sounds like a winner to me!
ReplyDeleteIt does look delicious. Try out some other flavors to find out what's missing!
ReplyDeleteI love pulled pork! It must be crazy good in a taco!
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious! I need to go get some pork now.
ReplyDeleteThis looks so good..... I just emailed it to myself. This will be my first try of pulled pork so wish me luck! :-) Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeletepulled pork tacos rule, and yours look extraordinarily mouth watering. =]
ReplyDeleteI love these, they look so delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you weren't happy with the flavour, but they sure do look delicious! I love pulled pork and tacos, so the two put together is my idea of heaven :)
ReplyDeleteOohh, I love pork tacos. I made some, and my first try wasn't what I wanted. If I were you, I would add some garlic and more pepper taste to the pork (like smoked paparika or a pinch of cayenne), reduce the sauce a little bit before putting the pork back in the liquid, and serve on a corn tortilla - that makes a big difference.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I'm such a Cali-mex fiend, I would put a tangy coleslaw on mine instead of the sour cream...but I'm sure that's a personal thing!
Pulled pork tacos sound like a great concept and I bet with some tweaking this will end up being a killer recipe. :o)
ReplyDeleteExcuse me while I stop to clen the drool off the keyboard...yum! These look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI have some pork in the freezer that could stand to be used up and these pics are really making me wish it was already pulled. Maybe I'll add a little more of this and that to help with the flavor. I do love cayenne.
ReplyDeleteThese tacos look so yummy! Love any kind of tacos. Definitely need to make the pulled pork.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that the flavor of the pork didn't come through--it really seems like a tasty recipe. At least they look fabulous!
ReplyDeleteAnd P.S...I love me some homemade pirogies!