Mexican Style Shredded Pork Food

MEXICAN SHREDDED PORK

Steps:

• In a large skillet place corn oil and bring to high heat (careful!). Sear pork butt on all sides. Should be browned on all sides.
• Let pork butt rest on cutting board until cool enough to handle. Rub cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper on all sides of pork.
• In large cast iron or equivalent make dutch oven style pan, place chicken stock. Add pork butt.
• Peel and slice into disk onion. Place onion on top of pork.
• Open can of poblanos and remove peppers, save sauce. Place poblanos on onions.
• Cover pan and set burner to lowest setting (May also be done in oven) allow to slow cook.
• Periodically it may be necessary to remove excess fluid from pan as meat cooks down.
• After approx 4 hours check to see if meat falls apart when prodded with fork. (Don't worry if it doesn't. I was told 4 hours of cooking time, my first time it took closer to eight before it flaked apart with a fork) If it doesn't flake apart, continue to cook covered and check each hour.
• When meat falls apart, remove any bones. Drain off liquid. Stir in poblano sauce left from can.
• You may use immediately for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, flautas, or any other Mexican dish requiring shredded pork.
• I recommend adding a dash of rock salt. Keep refrigerated until needed. This meat easily reheats for that quick taco fix.
• Note: EXPERIMENT! I substitute Beer for the chicken stock. Add a chunk of fatty beef that has been seered on all sides to the pot, and WOW! I also add a few fresh Jalepenos cut in half with the tops removed. See what works for you.

MEXICAN STYLE SHREDDED PORK

Steps:

• Place the roast in a slow cooker, and season with salt. Place chile peppers and garlic on top of roast. Pour in the chipotle sauce and 1/2 cup water.
• Cover, and cook 7 hours on Low.
• In a pot, bring remaining 2 3/4 cups water and rice to a boil. Mix in the lime juice and cilantro. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
• Remove roast from the slow cooker, and use two forks to shred. Return pork to the slow cooker, and allow to sit 15 minutes to absorb some of the liquid. Serve over the cooked rice.

MEXICAN PORK

Steps:

• Cut roast in half; place in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Top with enchilada sauce, green pepper, onion and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. , Remove roast; cool slightly. Skim fat from cooking juices. Remove meat from bone; discard bone. Shred pork with 2 forks and return to slow cooker., Stir in the cilantro, lime juice and lime zest; heat through. Serve with a slotted spoon on tortillas, if desired, with toppings of your choice.

MEXICAN PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Place pork, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, and salt in a large saucepan. Simmer, covered, until all the liquid has cooked off and the pork cooks in its own rendered fat, 45 to 50 minutes. Add lard if there is not enough fat, so pork cooks to a golden brown. Set aside.
• Place the guajillo and ancho chiles in a small saucepan with 1 cup water. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add parsley, garlic, oregano, and cumin; puree.
• Add the pureed mixture to the pork. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the pork is tender and can easily be cut with a fork, about 1 hour. It may be necessary to add another cup of water to the pan, depending on the tenderness of the meat.
• Let pork rest for 15 minutes. Shred with 2 forks.

MEXICAN PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Heat oil in large pan until hot.
• Add pork, stir until browned.
• Add onion, garlic and chilies, cook and stir until onions are tender.
• Add all spices and stir.
• Add enough water to just cover meat.
• Put in crock-pot on Hi for 6-8 hours until meat shreds. (You can help it by pulling meat apart with forks or by pressing meat onto side of pan when almost done.).
• If not using crock-pot, simmer on top of stove on low heat for 3-4 hours until meat shreds, adding more water if needed to prevent sticking.
• Serve with taco shells or as burritos with beans, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

PORK MACHACA (TENDER PULLED MEXICAN PORK)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a stockpot and simmer until fork tender-this can take from 3-4 hours.
• Can be made in a crock pot also-decrease liquid by about 1/2, bouillon powder by 1/3, and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or until tender as above).
• When tender, remove from heat and allow meat to cool in the broth until cool enough to handle (this will keep the meat moist).
• Shred (or "pull") either with forks or by hand.
• Place in storage container and add some of the broth to moisten; refrigerate until needed.
• Reheat either in microwave, or in saucepan; use a little of the juice to keep it moist.
• For the Mexican-flavored pot roast, don't shred-slice fairly thick (about 1/2"), and make a gravy by thickening some of the juice with either cornstarch or roux (sorry, you'll have to thicken by sight; tough to give an exact quantity for that); serve with plain steamed rice/boiled potatoes and a vegetable-broccoli and/or carrots come to mind first. Leftovers make great open-faced hot sandwiches.
• For soup, take broth and add some onions, carrots, celery, an extra bit of canned diced tomato (you can use almost anything for veggies depending on what you like/have on hand), some of the pork meat and posole (or hominy); simmer until tender and add shredded cabbage; cook another 15 minutes. Serve with hot tortillas and a salad for a complete meal.
• Can also be made as beef machaca by using bottom (outside) round, chuck, or brisket; replace chicken bouillon powder with beef.

MEXICAN PULLED PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Put the marinade ingredients in a large, zip-seal freezer bag and squish until well combined. Add the pork and onion, ensuring they're well coated. Seal and put in the fridge overnight.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Transfer the pork and its marinade to a medium casserole dish. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 4-5 hrs or until the pork is very tender and falls apart when poked with a fork.
• To make the pickled onions, put the sliced red onions in a heatproof bowl. Cover with just-boiled water and leave to stand for 10 mins. Drain well, then stir in the white wine vinegar or cider vinegar and caster sugar. Stand for at least 10 mins before serving.
• Drain the pork in a colander, reserving the marinade, then transfer the pork to a board. Shred the pork with two forks, drizzle over 4-5 tbsp of the reserved marinade, and serve from the board with the pickled red onions, warmed corn tacos, shredded lettuce and soured cream.