BRAISED PORK TACOS

Braising pork makes the meat pull-apart tender, which is exactly what you want for a taco filling. Braise this pork in a sweet and spicy vinegar solution then use it to stuff tacos along with cheese, guacamole and our Patio Pico de Gallo.

Yield: Serves 8.

BRAISED PORK TACOS

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup pure white vinegar
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded and chopped
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 lb (1 kg) boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into 2 inch cubes
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 8 flour tortillas (8 inch)
  • Shredded Monterey Jack cheese*
  • Guacamole with Cilantro*
  • Patio Pico de Gallo*

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Place lemon juice, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, jalapeno, allspice, pepper and cloves in a blender; blend until combined. Set lemon juice mixture aside.
  3. Sprinkle pork with salt. Heat oil in a non-reactive ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown on all sides. Add lemon juice mixture and broth; stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
  4. Bake, covered, for 2 hours or until pork is fork tender. Transfer pork to a cutting board, reserving broth mixture. When cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred pork. Transfer pork to a serving dish and cover with foil; set aside.
  5. To prepare sauce, pour broth mixture into a small non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until broth mixture is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
  6. Place shredded pork over one side of each tortilla, dividing equally. Top pork with sauce, cheese, Guacamole with Cilantro and Patio Pico de Gallo. Fold tortillas in half.
Nutritional analysis per taco:

604 calories, 38 g fat, 34.3 g protein, 28.3 g carbohydrate, 1.7 g fibre, 1036 mg sodium

*Ingredient not included in nutritional analysis.

Tip:

Hot peppers cause severe skin and eye irritation. Wear disposable gloves when handling hot peppers and avoid touching any exposed skin.