I’ve posted about pulled pork tacos recently, but I’ve been working on my marinade and I wanted to share this recipe with you. It’s wonderfully smoky and has a fair old kick, but if you’re not into spicy food, adding a good dollop of sour cream and tomatillo salsa does a good job at toning down the heat.
You can pick up the dried chillis and achiote on the Cool Chile Company’s website at www.coolchile.co.uk (not an ad). They’ll last you ages once you buy them.
A good tortilla goes a long way. I’m not a fan of crunchy taco shells - they just make a huge mess. The Cool Chile Company’s soft corn tacos are the best I’ve had without making them myself (again, not an ad). They’re gluten free, too :)
Serves 6
Marinade recipe:
1x dried guajillo chilli 1x dried ancho chilli 1x dried chipotle chilli 6x cloves garlic, unpeeled 1x tbsp cumin seeds 1x tbsp oregano 1x tsp cinnamon 1x clove 1x tap black peppercorns 100ml cider vinegar 100ml orange juice 35g achiote paste
Other ingredients:
1.5kg pork shoulder (approx)
12x small soft corn tortillas
1x red onion
1x jar tomatillo salsa (Gran Luchito, available in Sainsburys)
1x pineapple
1x 300ml pot soured cream
1x small bunch coriander
2x limes
1x iceberg lettuce
• Add the cumin seeds, oregano, cinnamon, clove and peppercorns to a frying pan and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and grind to a powder. • Tear up your dried chillies and discard the stalks and seeds. Add to the same frying pan until they start to smoke. Transfer to a bowl and pour over boiling water. • In the same pan, add the garlic (unpeeled) and cook until charred and soft (no oil needed). • Drain your chillies and put them in a food processor. Squeeze the garlic out of their skins and add them, along with the ground spices. Add the cider vinegar, orange juice and achiote paste, and blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick to blend properly, add a little more orange juice. • Pour the marinade over your chosen meat (I went for pork shoulder), rubbing it into all the crevices, and marinate in the fridge overnight. • The next day, cook your meat as you normally would. Low and slow on the barbecue is best. I did mine in the oven at 160°C for around 3 hours until the internal temp hit 95°C. When the meat is cooked, transfer to a tray and pull apart. Pour over the juices, leaving a little aside. Pour the remaining juices into a bowl and use it as a dip for your tacos.
• Warm the tortillas in a dry pan on a high heat. Keep them warm by storing them inside a warm, damp tea towel. • To finish the tacos, I went with a little sour cream, shredded lettuce, chopped red onions, pineapple, coriander and tomatillo salsa.
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