Belly Up…….To The Taco Bar! Is it shredded pork? Is it chicharones? It’s BOTH, giving fabulous crunch and a moistened texture to the tacos. How? Its made with the incredibly delicious PORK BELLY! Seriously, these are probably the BEST tacos I have had in a LONG time! Talk about scrumptious and delish! This recipe has a combination of searing and braising allowing for the crispy texture and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, which enhances the two BEST aspects of the cut! Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 pork belly, about 1 pound each
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 handful fresh oregano
4 tablespoons Kosher salt (1 tablespoon for every pound of meat)
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
8 corn tortillas
Garnishes:
radishes, chopped
napa cabbage, shredded
cilantro
queso fresco
cherry tomatoes
avocados
tomatillo salsa, recipe to follow
Tomatillo salsa:
10-12 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
6 garlic cloves
1 jalapeño
salt and pepper
Instructions
Place the pork, fat-side up, in a roasting pan fitted with a rack insert, and using a sharp knife, score the surface of the meat with small slits. Mash the garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper into a paste on a cutting board with the flat side of a knife; place the adobo in a bowl and stir in the oil and vinegar. Rub the garlic paste all over the pork, being sure to get into the incisions so the salt can penetrate the meat and pull out the moisture - this will help form a crust on the outside when cooked. Cover the pork with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
Allow the meat to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
To make tomatillo salsa, heat oven to 350 and put tomatillos, garlic, and jalapeño on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or until soft and browned. Put in a food processor and blend until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste, set aside.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. On stove top, heat 2 T of olive oil in a dutch oven. Put in pork belly, fat side down, and brown for 7-10 min per side. (If you have 2 pieces of pork belly, do separately. Add chicken stock or pork stock about half way up the meat. Cover and place in oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, turn over and add more stock if necessary and cook for another 1hour. Uncover and cook for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and place on cutting board, let rest 10 minutes and shred.
Grill corn tortillas on stovetop or grill for 30 seconds per side.
To assemble, put corn tortilla on plate, top with pork belly, desired garnishings, and tomatillo salsa
Recipe by Eatentions at https://www.eatentions.com/pork-belly-tacos/