Tacos De Cecina Pounded Pork Tacos Recipes

TACOS DE CECINA (POUNDED PORK TACOS)

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, in a dry cast-iron skillet, toast the chilies over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant; turn them and shake the pan so they don't scorch.
• Put the toasted chilies in a bowl, cover with the boiling water, and let them soak until softened and reconstituted, about 15 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, make a deep slit down the length of the tenderloins and open them up so they lay flat.
• With the smooth side of a mallet, pound the pork between two pieces of plastic to a 1/4-inch thickness.
• Transfer to a platter.
• In a blender, combine the toasted chilies, vinegar, oregano, 2 tablespoons of oil, salt, and pepper, and puree to form a paste.
• Rub the paste on both sides of the pork.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat grill or ridged grill pan.
• Brush grill grates with a little oil to prevent meat from sticking.
• Scrape off excess chili paste from pork and grill for 2 minutes per side.
• Remove to cutting board and let rest for 2 minutes.
• Slice into 1/4-inch pieces.
• Heat a large dry skillet over a medium flame.
• Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side, until toasty and pliable.
• To make the tacos, stack 2 warm tortillas, lay about 4 ounces of pork down the center, and sprinkle with some onion and cilantro.
• Drizzle 1 1/2 teaspoons of salsa on top of each taco and garnish with lime wedges.
• Note: Guajillo chili is the dried form of the fresh mirasol chili.
• Can be found at Latin markets.

PULLED PORK TACOS WITH CITRUS SALSA

Steps:

• For the pork: Sprinkle the pork with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 5-quart saucepan. Cook the pork until brown, about 10 minutes. Add 3 cups water, the chicken broth, orange juice, cumin, chiles, garlic and onion. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the pork is very tender, for 2 hours. Shred the pork into small pieces, using 2 forks. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the salsa: Cut the ends off the oranges and grapefruits, place cut-side down on the counter, and cut away the peel. Using a paring knife, cut along the membrane on both sides of each segment. Coarsely chop the fruit segments. Squeeze the juice from the membranes and reserve. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of the reserved citrus juice, oil, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Add the fruit segments and toss until coated.
• To serve: Warm the tortillas by holding them over a burner for 30 seconds on each side or place in a dry skillet and heat over medium heat until warmed through. Place 1/4 cup of shredded cabbage in the center of each tortilla and place the pork on top. Spoon the salsa over the meat and serve.

PULLED PORK TACOS

Steps:

• For the pulled pork: In a small bowl, mix together the cumin, coriander, salt and oregano. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork roast.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork roast and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, garlic, chipotle and adobo sauce, beer, and orange zest. Add the browned roast along with any pan juices. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 6 hours.
• When the pork is cooked and fork tender, shred it using two forks. Add the shredded meat back to the slow cooker and toss with the onions and cooking juices. Keep warm in the slow cooker for people to help themselves and assemble the tacos with all the garnishes.

TACOS DE ALAMBRE

Steps:

• Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate, reserving grease in the skillet. Crumble the bacon strips once cool.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno peppers; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, and stir in the ground beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the ground beef is crumbly and no longer pink, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid.
• Scrape the beef mixture into the skillet of bacon grease. Crumble the bacon into the beef, and stir until thoroughly combined. Keep warm over low heat.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a clean skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Place a tortilla into the pan, and place a generous spoonful of the meat filling onto the lower half of the tortilla. Cook until bubbles begin to form in the tortilla, then fold over the meat. Continue cooking until the taco is crisp and lightly browned on each side, 1 to 2 minutes total. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and meat mixture. Top the tacos with diced tomatoes and shredded Monterey Jack cheese to serve.

POBLANO AND GROUND PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Mince a few slices of onion to get 1 tablespoon. Add minced onion, tomato, kiwi, juice from 2 lime wedges, 3/4 of the cilantro, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Mix into a salsa.
• Juice 1/4 of the lime into another small bowl; mix in sour cream to make the crema.
• Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion and poblano pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until softened and lightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Add pork and Mexican seasoning. Cook until pork is browned throughout, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add chicken stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until everything is coated, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Wrap tortillas in a damp cloth and microwave for 30 seconds. Divide tortillas over plates; spread cream on top. Top tortillas with pork mixture and salsa. Garnish with remaining cilantro.

SIZZLING PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Generously season pork with salt and pepper; add garlic, chile powder and cumin and mix well massaging spices into the meat.
• Marinate at least an hour, or up to overnight, refrigerated.
• Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat; once oil begins to shimmer, add meat and let sizzle, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Turn off heat and keep meat warm.
• Heat tortillas on a dry griddle or another cast iron pan, turning them once or twice, until they are hot and slightly puffed; stack them on a clean cloth napkin and cover with another napkin so that they steam.
• To serve: Stack 2 hot tortillas on a plate and spoon on a little pork, top with a spoonful of tomatillo salsa and another of the salsa cruda; garnish with radishes and cilantro.