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If you grew up eating tacos from a box — crunchy taco shell, ground beef, floppy iceberg lettuce, ice cold shredded cheddar cheese — then you probably know by now that those weren’t “authentic” tacos by any stretch of the imagination (though they still hit the spot, if our current-day Taco Bell orders are any indication). Of course, chasing authenticity can be a fruitless game when it comes to home cooking, but if you’re looking for a taco recipe that’s a little closer to the real deal, then a slow-cooked, al pastor and carnitas inspired pork taco recipe could do the trick. Cookbook author and television star Katie Lee Biegel’s slow cooker pulled pork tacos are easy to make, but pack huge flavor into every bite of your meal.
The star of the dish is obviously the pulled pork, and the seasoning is everything. Biegel starts with boneless pork butt or shoulder, which is generously seasoned with a blend of coriander, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Then, the seasoned meat gets seared in a skillet until it’s browned on all sides. Don’t skip this step — it adds tons of savory, caramelized, meaty flavor the finished recipe.
The liquid seasonings are inspired by both carne al pastor, a dish of pineapple-marinated pork that’s cooked on a vertical spit called a trompo, and carnitas, a dish of pork that’s braised and then crisped in it’s own rendered fat and that’s often seasoned with ingredients like orange juice, lime juice, bay leaf, and cola. Yes, cola as in soda.
For Biegel’s recipe, she combines pineapple with brown sugar, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice, orange juice, and onion in a blender, adding it to the slow cooker with the seared pork, bay leaves, and a glug of cola. The pork slow-cooks in the mixture, becoming tender enough to shred and soaking up all of the bold flavors.
Once the pork is cooked, you can assemble your tacos, adding the meat, chopped onions, cilantro, and salsa to warmed corn tortillas. Add some crumbled queso fresco if you want a cheesy kick, and extra lime wedges to amp up the acid, or add the pork to a roll with refried beans, avocado, queso Oaxaca, and salsa to make a memorable torta sandwich. But one thing is for sure — after you have Katie Lee Biegel’s slow-cooker pork tacos, it’ll be hard to go back to ground beef boxed taco night.
Before you go, check out Garten’s best dinner recipes below:
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