Have you ever had one of those meals where not only did everything taste good, but everything meshed perfectly together? Where the empty spot you never even knew was in you suddenly filled perfectly?
Well, I've just had one. (Three if you count the leftovers).
We got this recipe from Accidental Hedonist, another great local food blog. We adapted it slightly ourselves, but for the most part we used the recipe as is.
Ingredients
- 2-4 pound pork butt or shoulder roast
- 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar (or brown sugar substitute)
- 1 onion
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 cups green salsa
- 1 Tbsp oregano
- Corn tortillas
- Cabbage (optional)
- Avocado
- Cheddar or Cojita cheese
Directions
The night before you want to cook the pork, mix 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon regular paprika, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. These amounts are just guidelines, feel free to adjust the quantities to suit your tastes.
Rub the pork roast with the mixture and refrigerate overnight.
Next, chop the onion. Put the meat in a large pot with the onion, 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, the green salsa, chopped oregano and chicken stock. Boil the mixture on high and then reduce the heat to medium and cover.
Simmer until the pork is tender and registers at least 165 on a meat thermometer.
Remove the pork from the pan, turn the juices down to low, and preheat the oven to 400.
Using two forks, tear the pork into shreds. Spread the pork on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. You want some of the shredded pork to be crispy.
Turn the heat back up on the pot and boil the mixture in the pan for 8-10 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat. Pull the pork out of the oven and add it back into the pot, mixing well. When we did this, it did not look like there was anywhere near enough sauce for all of that pork. Even after I mixed everything together, I was worried it was going to be dry. But never fear. This recipe did not disappoint.
To serve, heat up a corn tortilla and fill it with the pork mixture, add a little shredded cheese, some avocado, and some cabbage (we skipped the cabbage).
This was amazing. Absolutely amazing. Despite how dry the mixture looked, when I bit into the tortilla, it was tender, juicy, and rich.
This will soon become one of our staple recipes. I think it would work well in the crock pot as well. Just throw everything together in the morning (no pre-cooking required), simmer all day, and then shred and roast the pork when you get home at night. I can't wait to make this again.
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