RECIPE: Posole Pork Rojo Tacos (slow cooker)

The slow cooker is a great way to braise a cheap cut of meat all day, so you can have a great taco night by the time you get home. This pork rojo is a delicious shredded meat for tacos for a busy weeknight. This will taste really spicy as it cooks, but it will mellow out by the time you pull the meat out and shred it.

We serve our tacos with a huge spread of toppings-from various salsas to avocado and cilantro, to various shredded cheeses to tortillas (even spelt tortillas for me-they are gluten free! Have fun with your toppings, your family will love it!

1 cup dried chilies de Arbol

3 dried Guajillo pepper

5 dried Ancho pepper

6 cloves of garlic(4 minced and 2 smashed)

salt

2-3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder (I used 5.5 lb bone-in)

2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

3 Tbsp. olive oil or veg. oil

1 large white onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup tequila

1/4 cup water

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 Tbsp. dried Mexican oregano

2 bay leaves

30 oz. cans of white hominy, drained and rinsed

1. Heat 4 cups of water until hot. Break up all dried chillies into pieces and shake to remove seeds. Place pieces in hot water bowl or pan, cover and let soak 1/2 hour. Remove chillies from water and reserve 1 1/2 cup chillies soaking water. In a blender or food processor add chillies, 1/2 cup soaking water, 2 smashed garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. Process until its smooth (if it gets too thick add more soaking water to thin out.) Strain the mixture into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve, push it through with a spatula until only solids remain. Discard the solids.

2. Trim some fat from pork shoulder and rub with mixture of ground cumin, ground coriander and 1/2 tsp salt. Heat a large pan over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic, sauce 5 minutes. Add red peppers and push everything to sides of pan. Add pork and  brown all sides. Remove pork and vegetables from pan and place in slow cooker on HIGH. Return pan to the burner and add tequila and 1/4 cup water to the hot pan and scrap up the brown bits, stirring and scraping for 3 minutes.  Add this liquid to the slow cooker. Add chicken stock, oregano, bay leaves and chilies mixture and cook for 6-7 hours. 

3. About 1 hour before completion add hominy and stir. After 1 hour check meat to see if it falls apart and is tender. If so, remove from slow cooker and place on a cutting board. With 2 forks pull and shred meat into small pieces. Set aside in a bowl. Add everything else from slow cooker to a 12” sauce pan and over high heat reduce by about 1/2, about 20 minutes. Pour over pork in bowl and mix. Serve with assorted taco fixings like:

Diced red onion

Chopped lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Diced avocado/guacamole

Sour Cream

Shredded jack cheese

Chopped cilantro

Lime wedges

#Taco Bell Verde Salsa

#Nuevo Leon Flour Tortillas