Monday, December 29, 2014

Dinner - Smoked Pork Tacos

Since this week is a four day week for most of the country, I decided to celebrate Taco Tuesday a day early...which was perfect since I needed to use the smoked pork my parents left in Mobile when they visited last weekend! It was just about on its last leg, but it made for a mighty fine taco :)

On our tacos, I decided to make use of some leftover red cabbage as well by pickling it in a vinegar reduction. Then I caramelized some onions and topped it with feta. I didn't have any fresh cilantro (my spice garden is a bit pitiful at the moment) but that would have been an excellent addition as well. Overall it was a very tasty (almost) Tuesday meal!



 For the pickled red cabbage I used 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, and a heaping tablespoon of sugar. 



I combined them in a pot over medium heat until it was boiling and then threw in about 2 cups of thinly sliced red cabbage. I also sliced half a yellow onion and added it to a skillet with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Salt and pepper both pots and let them simmer away!


I tend to be a bit partial to some good black beans with my tacos, so I made a quick side while everything was cooking. I'm ALL about quick and yummy flavor combinations, so I made use of some fresh salsa that we just picked up from the store tonight (seriously, if you've never had Jack's Special fresh salsa you're missing out on a fundamental life concept). To make an easy side dish, you'll need about a 1/4 cup of salsa and a tablespoon of diced jalapenos(see yesterday's post for my thoughts on buying the jar of pre-diced!). Put this in a skillet over medium heat with the black beans and let it simmer along with everything else.



 I would recommend making a trip to the stove every 5 minutes or so to stir each pot, letting it all cook about 15 minutes. 


Now for the AMAZING part...smoked meat. Seriously. So. Good. I wish computers had a "smell it" button because let me tell you I could eat the air in my kitchen right now (Weird? No, not weird...) If you don't have any smoked meat (which I'm assuming most people wouldn't based on my fridge's history) you can substitute another meat of your choice. Personally, I'd recommend some form of red meat to stand up to the other flavors of this dish.  


For our tacos I diced the meat and warmed it in the leftover butter from the sauteed onions, but you could also slice meat or even serve a large piece of steak.

Once everything was cooked up, I put meat, onions, and red cabbage in a couple small tortillas and sprinkled everything with some feta. I'm kinda funny about my black bean juice getting all over my tortillas and making them soggy, so I put them in a small bowl but it's your choice. Serve with some chips and Jack's Special salsa and you are set for a great taco (almost) Tuesday!

Enjoy!!!!








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