1- Whole Bone-In, Skin-On Pork Shoulder(Butt)

2-Sweet Onions, cut in half

2 Handfuls of Garlic Cloves, Whole

1-Orange, cut in half

1- White Onion

2- Limes

2- Jalapenos

4- Tomatoes(whatever looks good)

2-4 Dried Chilis (depending on the amount of spice you want)

1 Bunch- Cilantro

1 Bunch-Scallions

2- Yellow Onions, Cut in quarters

1 Qt- Chicken Stock

1 Pack of Tortillas

 

1. Remove skin from shoulder and de-bone. Remove excessive fat from meat. No one likes blubber. Fat is flavor but fat is also… fat.

 2. Cut meat into medium cubes. SEASON REALLY WELL (like really well) with salt and pepper. Sear everything. Meat, Bone, Skin. You can do this on a grill, under the broiler, or in a cast iron pan. if you are broiling, make a nice even layer of meat in your tray and do not move the meat. Move the tray, not the meat, to get even browning because if you move start stirring the meat around it will turn into a wet mess. If you are doing in a cast iron pan, use a small amount of a neutral oil with a high smoke point. (We prefer vegetable or canola) You are looking for nice color in this stage. The more color you get here, the more flavor it will have in the end. When it is able half way to where you want it, thrown in the sweet onions, orange, and one handful of garlic to let them get color too. 

4. For this next step in cooking, you are going to want a deep dutch oven or a heavy duty pot. Put in the skin first to create a nice barrier for the heat on the bottom of the pot. This will also maximize the amount of gelatiny love and body you want in the finished product. Next, layer in the bone, meat, and aromatics. In this case, that means the onion, garlic, and orange we charred earlier with the meat. feel free to get creative here! Dried chili, herbs, chili paste, etc. Be mindful that when the meat is cooked the broth will need to be reduced down a bit to get a glaze. Don’t over salt this concoction otherwise it will be too concentrated later. Taste as you go and keep cooking to develop the flavor.

5. Cover with Chicken Stock (we prefer what we make at home but store bought can work just fine in a crunch. Even vegetable broth or water are fine. (Really this is about the pork, we just like to give it a few more boosts of flavor along the way because why not?) Cook on a low flame at a simmer. Medium heat is okay if you are in a rush but you will not get as much flavor out of it in the end. It can take as little as 90 min or up to a few hours depending on how big the chunks of meat are in your pot. you will know it’s ready when you can shred it with a fork. 

6. Remove meat and any large pieces of aromatics that are left in the pot. Reduce the liquid on a higher heat until it has created a slightly thicker sauce. Taste along the way as it is cooking down. When it is delicious, it is ready to go. 

Key Points:

• Your bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder was broken down accordingly to your cooking time
• Your chunks of pork were seasoned well and browned nicely. You gave them all of that love.
• Skin, bone, meat, and aromatics were layered in and covered with stock/water
• tender meat was removed from liquid. Aromatics were removed separately (if you smash these up they can create a really, really, really tasty condiment. Don’t be scared, give it a try)
• Stock (liquid that remains) was reduced down until it was tasty.
• Shred as much as you are ready to eat and toss in a little of your stock. If you are planning on having leftovers, this holds better in a solid chunk. Heat back up with some of your stock to make it just as good as it is the day of.

7. For the salsa: In another pan, or on the other side of the grill, sear your tomatoes, yellow onion, and scallions to get a nice char. Remove from pan/grill and take skin off the tomatoes (this should fall off if you got enough of a char on them). In the now empty pan, toast up the other handful of garlic and dried chilies. Get some nice color and then smash your tomatoes in the mix. Cook this down to remove most of the excess liquid (essentially you are concentrating the flavor here) and then put the mix in a blender with the grilled onion, scallion, and juice of a lime to start. Season with salt, pepper, and lime to taste.

8. To finish these masterpieces, stick with simple garnish. nothing too wet as the pork itself is already juicy and you have the salsa to go on top. We like minced white onion, small diced Jalapeno, lime wedge, chopped cilantro, and cheese. Warm up some tortillas and enjoy! To be extra, proceed to step 9.

9. For this particular taco night, we shredded some Oaxaca Cheese to melt on the tortilla as it was heating up to make…. QUESO TACOS (this is what we like to call a power move) Heat up a griddle (again, cast iron is best) to medium heat. Butter lightly and place tortillas down. Put a small amount of shredded cheese on and let melt. In another pan that you let get REALLY hot, add a small amount of oil. Put in an even layer of the shredded pork and let it sizzle 2-3 min. Don’t move it. Seriously. Let it sizzle. Check a small corner to see if it toasty brown and if it is, give it a good stir. Add in a spoon of your aromatic paste, a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, and then deglaze with some of your stock. put some of this on your melty cheese tortilla with a spoon of your salsa. Fold over and repeat thousands of times to find true peace and happiness.

 

Cheers!