Pulled pork... South of the border style

[filsonhand]

Hello All

I'm looking to get some input on some Mexican pork recipes. I've been asked to make a bunch of pork taco fixins' for a wedding.

My idea was to smoke the shoulder roasts then pull em and smother them in salsa Verde and let em simmer.

So any rubs and sauces that would fit the bill would be greatly appreciated, my normal BBQ rub isn't gonna pass muster on this endeavor..

Any input would be appreciated


This is kinda what I'm thinking with pulled pork.....

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[Member 34319]

I make pulled pork in my pressure cooker, same one I use for canning. I add liquid smoke to get that smoked flavor without actually smoking it on the grill. This method reduces the time to cook by hours, taste is on par with actually smoked, and the meat stays much more tender and juicy vs possible dried out while smoking.

 

[Carbon]

Try pork carnitas recipies, and a salsa bar that folks can use what kind of sauce topping they prefer, red, green, peanut, pico de gallo stuff.

 

[SOrez]

I take a pint of salsa verde I make and the least expensive pork I can find, put it in a crock let it cook.

 

[filsonhand]

Great ideas. Keep em coming

 

[Joe13]

Liquid smoke is how we figure out who the yanks are.

I have a relative or two that uses it and personally I really dislike the stuff.

Wet smoke it and use taco seasoning as your rub. I'm with the guy that suggested the salsa bar.

 

[Mister Bisley]

You can always put a little pan of cerveza (beer for you gringos) with some bay leaf and sliced limes, onions and jalapeños, inside the smoker. This will create moisture in your smoker, as well as being an aromatic for the meat

 

[etrain16]

Since I don't have a smoker, me, a bonafide northerner, (we won, you know ) do use Liquid Smoke for my pork butt (he said butt ). I've done pulled pork in the slow cooker for years. I simply put it in the Crock Pot, a little Liquid Smoke (I don't go crazy with the stuff) and a rub of Red Hawaiian Sea Salt. Cook on low for 10-12 hours, then shred.

On its own, it's great and reminds me of the whole pig roast in Hawaii they do underground, save for the banana leaves.

But back to the salsa bar - that's where I was going to go too. When I do pulled pork, I leave the pork on it's own, aside from what I cooked it in, then put out my world-famous homemade barbecue sauce, or other condiments depending on the mood or the flavors we want. Pulled pork is pretty versatile, you can change it up by just altering sauces, etc. after it's cooked.

Let me qualify one thing - if you have the ability to actually smoke it rather than liquid smoke, that's certainly the better way to go. To date though, I've never had a complaint on my Liquid Smoke flavored pork - in fact, it always gets lots of praise.

 

[Mister Bisley]

You can always put a little pan of cerveza (beer for you gringos) with some bay leaf and sliced limes, onions and jalapeños, inside the smoker. This will create moisture in your smoker, as well as being an aromatic for the meat

I forgot to mention the marinade

I recommend a good mojo criollo marinade (Cuban origins, but is heavily used in Spanish cooking)for at least 12 hours, but prefer 24 hours. Then smoke it with the above recommendation.

 

[Geardo]

I use a slow cooker, and for about 2-3 lbs of pork, I add about 6 tomatios (the green ones!), 2-3 jalapenoes, 2 Anaheim, 2 bell peppers, 1 onion, a couple heaping spoonfulls of minced garlic, lime juice, 1/2 bottle hard apple cider (drink other half while chopping) salt and pepper, some cayenne powder, a few heaping spoonfuls of good chunky salsa, and maybe some cilantro. I added carrots this time which was interesting too. It turns out pretty good!


Edit: I thought this part was obvious. You gotta crisp em somehow, I usually get the crap out of an in my skillet.

 

[rick49]

Pulled pork is so yesterday. I do love the stuff but if you want a real Mexican taco, think carnitas.

Pork Carnitas Recipe (Mexican Pulled Pork) - Chew Out Loud

 

[Mister Bisley]

^the above recipe is basically a mojo with less juice. I am a big fan of crisping up the pork before it's taco time

 

[rick49]

What he said. Carnitas will give you that crust MB referred to

 

[Mister Bisley]

Cooking and shredding the pork the day before might be a good idea, then you can use a flat top griddle or cast iron pans to crisp the pork before serving.

Lime wedges, sliced radish and diced onion will be all you need after that, but a nice variety of salsas are always a plus.

 

[Mister Bisley]

All of a sudden I have a hankering for some tacos de carnitas

 

[rick49]

If you do a trial run of a carnita recipe you will see how the pork crisps and when to take it out of the oven. A cast iron Dutch oven is the perfect vessel for this operation very forgiving. Love the radish suggestion. Very traditional.

 

[Mister Bisley]

If you do a trial run of a carnita recipe you will see how the pork crisps and when to take it out of the oven. A cast iron Dutch oven is the perfect vessel for this operation very forgiving. Love the radish suggestion. Very traditional.

Yes and don't be afraid to invite us to said trial run

 

[rick49]

Almost forgot...if you do these ahead of time do not shred the pork until just before or slightly before serving and pour your reserved juices over the meat. Less chance of it drying out. I learned the hard way my first time, it was good but so much better if you wait and drizzle. Chicken stock is your friend.

 

[Mister Bisley]

Good point.

 

[Mister Bisley]

Here is how it's really done...

For you FB users...

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1377014235693408

Different vids of the same establishment.

For you non-FB users...