Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos

Today I was planning to share a side dish recipe with you guys.  It has vegetables and cheese and a crunchy breadcrumb topping.  I made it last night, and it rocked.  But then I got to thinking…  Cinco de Mayo is coming up next week, and I have a whole lot of Mexican recipes in the backlog waiting to be posted.  Seems like the perfect time to share them with you, no?  (Let’s just agree to ignore the fact that I completely ignored posting holiday recipes for Passover and Easter.)

To kick things off right, today’s recipe comes from Mexican food and Top Chef Master Rick Bayless.  If you’re not already a Rick Bayless fan, let me tell you - he’s kind of awesome.  He takes traditional, authentic Mexican recipes and makes them accessible.  And incredibly delicious.  Like that recipe for Jalapeno-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes I told you about a couple weeks ago.

Or today’s recipe for Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos.  Tacos which are good.  So very good.  And so very, very easy – because you make the filling for the tacos in a slow cooker.  Bet you didn’t see that one coming, did you?  Authentic Mexican food coming out of the slow cooker at the end of a long workday?  Yes, please.  Especially if that food tastes like this – soft corn tortillas filled with tender, smoky chunks of pork and cubes of potatoes steeped in the meat juices.  Topped off with cubes of creamy avocado and fresh cheese, these tacos take slow cooker food to another level. 

One Year Ago: Paprika Cheddar Drop Biscuits


Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos

Adapted from Mexican Everyday


Ingredients:

1 lb. red-skin or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

28 oz. diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

3 to 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 T. chipotle canning sauce (adobo sauce)

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. dried oregano, preferably Mexican (I used Italian)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 1/2 tsp. salt


24 corn tortillas

1 cup Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese, such as goat cheese or feta

2 avocados, cubed 


Directions:

Spread the potatoes over the bottom of a slow cooker and top with the pork.

In a large bowl, combine the (undrained) tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, garlic, onion, and salt.

Pour the tomato mixture over the pork.

Cover and cook on high for 6 hours.  Season to taste with salt, if desired.

Serve warm, with corn tortillas, crumbled cheese, and avocados.

Serves 8.