Tasty Tuesday – Crockpot Pork Tacos

Hello!

First things first.

Happy Veteran’s Day to all those who have served, those who are currently serving, and those who are preparing to serve. Thank you for all your sacrifices and selflessness.

And, all you military family members – spouses, children, parents, etc – deserve thanks and appreciation, too. I know how difficult it is to watch your loved one(s) go, often many, many miles away, and you’re left to keep things in order at home. That’s a whole different level of service. 🙂

My favorite sailors! 3 generations of service. 🙂

Now, it’s time for Tasty Tuesday!

Make sure you head over to Lena’s page and check out all the other Tasty Tuesday yumminess. Like Italian Wedding Soup. Yum! 🙂

This week, I bring you some comfort food that only requires a minimum amount of work.

Pork tacos!

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that roasting pork until it falls apart and tastes UH-mazing can take hours and hours and hours.

That’s why, if you haven’t already, you should most definitely invest in a crockpot!

It does all the work for you!

Pssst……Christmas is coming…..ask Santa to bring you one. 😉

You put this in the crockpot before you go to work, set the temp to low, and when you come home, you’ll have this!

Pork that’s so tender, it practically falls apart and into the tortillas on its own.

Top with whatever floats your boat.

Tomatoes or salsa, shredded cheddar, avocado or guac, lettuce, sour cream, etc, etc, etc.

Heat up some corn tortillas and dinner is served.

Crockpot Pork Tacos
serves about 8-10, depending on how many tacos each person eats

2-4 pound pork shoulder
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1 whole jalapeño
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 (12oz) beer
Corn tortillas

1. Pierce pork roast in several spots and shove garlic clove pieces in roast. Sprinkle with oregano, thyme, and crushed red pepper and place in crockpot. Add jalapeño and beer; cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours until pork is tender.

2. Remove roast from crockpot, shred, and make tacos! OM NOM NOM!!

Talk to me: How many tacos can you eat?

– jennifer

Have a Mexican Fiesta! (part 1)

Happy Friday!

Yes, it’s another squirrel. 🙂

This post has nothing about injured ribs, running, tired legs, headbands, training plans, fast paces, cool socks, or CrossFit. Do you think you can survive without all that stuff? Of course you can! I promise that you’ll be overloaded with it next week. 🙂

Fiesta!

This is the first in a two-part series on how to have a Mexican Fiesta in your dining room! Carne Asada, homemade beans, homemade guacamole and salsa, and even a cactus salad! (which, honestly, I didn’t make. Cactus? Those things are prickly.) Today, you get to learn how to make authentic carne asada and some homemade beans. I chose black beans because, well, I love them but you could certainly use pinto, pink (yes, PINK! Perfect for mother’s day!), or anything that your heart desires. And trust me, they don’t take as long as you would expect but they do take some time and it is TOTALLY worth it.

I got the recipes from Rick Bayless’ “Mexico – One Plate at a Time” cookbook. Rick Bayless is an American chef who specializes in tradition Mexican food and his recipes are absolutely divine. Sure, some require some work but you know what, it’s all worth it when you sit down at the table with your family and/or friends and enjoy the meal, the experience, and the moment. No, you don’t have to wait for Cinco de Mayo to roll around again to try these recipes. It’s your house, your dining room, your rules – you can have a Mexican Fiesta whenever you want! Ole! Margaritas optional.

Carne Asada (literal translation – “grilled beef”)

Eight 6- to 10-ounce beef steaks (bone-in rib or strip, ribeyes, boneless strip, tenderloin, chuck steaks and sirloin steaks all work in this dish)
2 limes
4-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Oil for grilling

1. Squeeze the juice of two limes into a large, nonaluminum dish. Mix the garlic and salt in another dish. Dip the steaks into the lime juice, turning to coat both sides. Smear all over with the garlic salt mixture. Cover and marinate for no more than 2 hours.

2. Light a gas grill to medium-high heat or light a charcoal grill and set the cooking grate above the hot coals once they’ve ashed over. Remove steak from marinade, place on grill and cook, turning once, until your desired “doneness” (yes, I did just make up that word). For medium-rare, a 1/2-inch steak will need about 2 1/2 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Remove from grill, let rest covered approximately 5 minutes (this allows the juices to set in the steak and helps the steak stay juicy when you cut it). Thinly slice and serve with guacamole, salsa, cactus salad, and tortillas, if desired.

Mexican Beans!

1 pound dried beans – you pick!
3 tablespoons pork lard OR 4 thick slices smokey bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Kosher salt

1. Rinse the beans and place them in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot and measure in 2 1/2-quarts water. Remove any beans that float, then add the pork lard or bacon, onion and garlic. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a strong rolling boil. Reduce the heat to about medium-low (just enough to keep the beans at a bare simmer, partially cover the pot and cook until the beans are thoroughly tender, about 2 hours depending on the type and freshness of the beans. Stir the beans every 15 minutes or so to make sure that none are sticking and the water still covers the beans, allowing them to more or less float freely. Add additional water as necessary.

2. When the beans are completely tender, season them with 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes for the beans to absorb the salt; then taste and add additional salt as necessary. The beans should have just enough broth to cover them. If too soupy, simmer briskly until broth is reduced, stirring frequently; if not brothy enough, stir in a little water. Keep warm over very low heat until ready to serve.

– jennifer

Chipotle Pork Tacos

So, you know how I feel about my crockpot. It’s practically my best friend in the kitchen! (Shhh….don’t tell all of my other really awesome kitchen gadgets that I said that.) A little amount of prep in the morning and dinner is ready when I get home! Which was especially fabulous last night because I was tired after Monday’s CrossFit workout and yesterday’s tempo run. I most certainly did NOT want to stand in the kitchen trying to throw things together until something resembled dinner! And boy, oh boy did I come home to some good smelling and delicious food!

My grandmother found this recipe in a Good Housekeeping magazine in her doctor’s office. She asked permission and they told her she could bring it home. You thought she pilfered it, didn’t you? Um, no. This is my grandmother we’re talking about! Anyway, I happened to be visiting, saw the recipe and decided that I must have it. So, I took it. Ha! Just kidding – I made a copy. Hey, I learned some of my manners from my grandmother. Pilfering isn’t a part my genetic makeup.

These tacos are fabulous! Slightly spicy and smoky from the chipotles and the chili powder and sweet and crunchy from the cabbage and the radishes. A perfect protein-packed meal to come home to, no matter how long your day was. Enjoy!

Chipotle Pork Tacos
Serves 12

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (4-5lb) boneless pork shoulder
3 tablespoons chopped chipotles in adobo sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
Kosher salt
Freshly grated black pepper
Flour tortillas (soft taco size)
Shredded green cabbage
Sliced radishes
Cilantro
Lime wedges

1. In 6- to 7-quart slow cooker bowl, whisk together ketchup, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add chopped onions and garlic.

2. In a small bowl, combine chopped chipotles, chili powder, lime peel and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cut pork into 4 equal pieces. Season with chipotle mixture and place in slow cooker.

3. Cover and cook 7 hours on High or 10 hours on low, or until very tender. Transfer meat to cutting board. Skim and discard fat from cooking liquid. Using your hands (give it a little time to cool!) or 2 forks, shred meat, discarding fat. Return meat to slow cooker and mix with sauce. Serve with flour tortillas, shredded cabbage, radishes, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Per serving:
Calories 410; Protein 31g; Carbs 31g; Fat 18g (sat 6g); Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 100mg; Sodium 730mg