Poblano Apple Pork Street Tacos
Poblano Apple Pork Street Tacos
This recipe is inspired by the al pastor tacos of Mexico I love so dearly. I wanted to see what would happen if I tried to make a local version with apples instead of pineapple shipped from elsewhere and with fresh chiles instead of dried because its more common for me to have poblanos on hand than local dried chiles. The result is, admittedly, nothing like al pastor, but a fun flavor combination to spruce up your average taco night.
Serves 6-8
Takes 12 hours for marinade (optional) + 10 hours in a slow cooker + 20 minutes active
INGREDIENTS:
3 poblanos, seeded
1 apple, cored
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 cup white distilled vinegar
4-5 pound Boston butt or pork shoulder roast
For taco assembly:
18-24 corn tortillas
4-5 avocados, optional
1 yellow or white onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, diced
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a food processor, combine poblanos, apple, garlic, sugar, salt, and vinegar. Process until poblanos and apples are finely chopped. Place in a large bowl or bag and add pork. Turn several times to coat, and place in the fridge to chill and marinade overnight. If you are short on time, you can skip this step. It will just make the pork a little more tender.
The next morning, place the pork shoulder in a slow cooker with the fat cap on top. Add all the marinade liquid. Cook on low for 10 hours or until the meat is fall apart tender. You can also do this step in a covered Dutch Oven (it will take about 6 hours to cook at 250 degrees F).
When ready to eat, remove the pork from the liquid and shred.
Warm tortillas on a grill or in the microwave or oven.
Smash a quarter of an avocado on each tortilla. Add a generous pile of pork, top with onion and cilantro. Devour immediately.
Recipe by Lauren Rudersdorf of The Leek & The Carrot
Lauren is a food blogger, freelancer, and recipe developer for Edible Madison where her Cook at Home column brings together voices and inspiration from across the region. She is a fierce advocate for local farms, local food, and cooking with the seasons. After ten years of owning and operating an organic CSA vegetable farm with her husband Kyle, Lauren draws her inspiration from the land and bounty available here in Wisconsin.