Spicy Pork Tacos for Cinco de Mayo

There have been Cinco de Mayo parties all over town this weekend so you may have already celebrated, but if you are still looking for a Mexican recipe to make a festive dinner at home, here’s my favorite…spicy shredded pork tacos. I discovered this a few years ago for a casual Cinco de Mayo dinner party we hosted. It was featured on the Today Show by Daisy Martinez.

I think the secret to this recipe is in the blend of spices, marinating time and slow cooking.  I just love discovering new recipes and spices/ingredients I have never used before. In this one, Adobo, a Mexican meat seasoning was the new find. It was easy to locate in the international aisle at Meijer.

Here’s what you need:

4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5-6 pieces, 2 inches wide each

2 tbsp dry adobo

Juice of one grapefruit

Juice of 2 lemons

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb Mexican chorizos, not in casing

2 medium yellow cooking onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1   tsp. ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

corn tortillas

Here’s what to do:

Season all sides of the pork pieces well by rubbing them with the adobo. Place in a baking dish in a single layer and pour the citrus juices over the meat, turning and coating all sides. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight and turn the pork occasionally.

Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry. Heat the oil in a dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides. After the meat is browned set it aside on a plate and cook the chorizo, breaking it up, in the same pan. Add the remaining spices, bay leaves and canned tomatoes and stir it all together. Return the pork to the pan and blend it in with the sauce so all the pieces are covered. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 2 hours or until the pork easily falls apart. Then remove the pork and shred with 2 forks and then put back in the sauce.

Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in 350 degree oven. I like to put about 5 in each pack. It takes about 7-10 minutes to get them warm and soft.

These are great with just the pork wrapped in the tortilla, but you may also want to add cheese, jalapenos, olives, etc. Once you have all your fillings in the tortilla, roll it up and take a bite!

I also like to serve corn, beans and rice along with this and a salad.

Hope you like this as much as I do!