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Beer Braised Pork Tacos
I LOVE Spanish food. I could eat it everyday.
While admittedly I don’t cook it at home often, when I do have some extra time on my hands and leftover odds and ends in the house needing to be used up before spoiling, this is a go-to (and quite simple) recipe to throw together. And the best part? The Crock Pot does all the hard work.
This meal can feed an ARMY for under $12.00-$15.00, which is a great way to stretch a buck and can be a great healthy alternative for anyone sick of meal prepping the standard “grilled chicken and veggies” a week in advance while trying to be mindful of their calorie intake. This meal is light, fresh, AND good for you.
Authentic folks typically spice rub and sear their Pork shoulder on all sides, then braise in the oven on low heat for 4-6 hours, which is arguably the best way, but for those of you (like me) who appreciate only dirtying one pot at a time, the crock pot is a great alternative- and let’s face it- you can basically put a flip flop in a crock pot and it’ll come out fantastic.
This dish is so satisfying and delicious, you may just pass on Chipotle next time around and make your own “Carnitas” in the comfort of your own home, but for those of us who are crunched for time, a simple pan sauteed chicken, ground beef/turkey, or shrimp will do just fine as well.
Beer Braised Pork Tacos
Prep Time 10 minutesCook Time 7 hours 50 minutesTotal Time 8 hoursServings 6Ingredients
- 4 LB Pork Shoulder Bone In/Skin On
- 12 oz Can/Bottle of Beer Lager
- 16 oz Chicken Stock/Broth
- 16 oz Coca Cola
- 3 Piquillo Peppers From Jar
- 1 Small Yellow Onion
- 8 Cloves Fresh Garlic Smashed
- 1 Pablano Pepper Rough Chopped
- 6 Mini Red Potatoes Quartered
- 1 Packet Sazon Seasoning
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1/2 TBSP Paprika
- 1/2 TSP Black Pepper
- 1/2 TSP Ground White Pepper
- 1 TSP Kosher Salt
- 1/2 TSP Onion Powder
- 1/2 TSP Garlic Powder
- 1/2 TSP Cumin
- 1/4 Bunch Fresh Cilantro
- 1 Pkg Corn or Flour Tortillas
Instructions
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Season pork shoulder on all sides with salt & coarse ground black pepper and place into crockpot.
In a mixing bowl, combine all dry spices and use a fork/spoon to combine.
Add the beer, cola, chicken stock, peppers, onions, garlic, potatoes, & cilantro and whisk together until well blended.
Pour mixture over the pork and turn heat to the “high” setting
Leave crockpot on high for the first 4 hours and for the remaining 3-4 hours, turn heat down to the “low” setting until fork tender.
Remove any excess fat, skin, and bone (which should slide off easily) and remove the pork to shred. Strain out the vegetables and reserve the remaining cooking liquid.
Add shredded pork into a serving dish and pour over some of the cooking liquid to enhance flavor and keep moist.
CORN TORTILLAS
Warm store-bought yellow Corn Tortillas through by dipping them in water and laying them onto a non-stick pan over high heat for about 45 seconds or so until they release and begin to char. Layer tortillas onto a kitchen towel, wrapping the towel around them to steam as you go.
Line taco shells with shredded pork and top off with pickled red onion, pico de gallo, queso blanco, fresh cilantro, and sliced jalapenos. Enjoy!
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Crock Pot Mediterranean Chicken
Let’s talk about convenience.
As someone who likes to make everything from scratch when possible, I never saw myself as a “Crock Pot user” until last year when Rob and I moved into our first place to
gether. We received a Crock Pot as a housewarming gift which, admittedly, sat in a storage closet for several months.
One day, after getting tired of repetitive quick dishes and ordering out, I decided to give it a try with a bone in- pork shoulder. Nine hours later, I was hooked. The meat was tender- fall off the bone and had practically no prep time or cleanup involved.
Since then, I find myself using the crock pot whenever possible (although as a nervous person by nature, I do not leave it unattended as “they” say you can do).
I mainly use the Crock Pot when trying to clean out our refrigerator. It is a great way to get rid of any leftover produce, condiments, etc. This is where the following recipe derived from.
Crock Pot Mediterranean Chicken2018-03-04 18:03:19PrintIngredients- 6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (NOT thin sliced)
- 1 Shallot (sliced)
- 12 Pitted Kalamata Olives (with juice)
- 12 Pitted Green Olives (with juice)
- 2 TBSP Capers (with juice)
- 8 Hot Cherry Pepper Slivers (with juice)
- 8 Artichoke Hearts
- 1 Bottle of Your Favorite Italian Dressing
- 1/4 Cup White Wine
- Black Pepper (to taste)
Instructions- Clean chicken with cold water, place directly into the crock pot. Add in the Italian dressing, white wine, shallot, olives, capers, cherry peppers, & black pepper. Add in a splash of juice from the olives, capers, & cherry peppers to reinforce those flavors and give more depth to the broth. Give a light stir to combine ingredients. Turn Crock Pot on "low" for 3 hours. Add in artichoke hearts (the artichokes will begin to disintegrate if left in for the entire cooking process, which will result in an unfavorable texture in the finished dish) and stir again. Let cook for an additional 6 hours- 9 in total. Once the cooking process has ended, gently break up the chicken breasts with a fork into a few smaller pieces. Platter it up with the remaining olives, capers, etc. and approximately 1/2 of the remaining liquid.
Notes- **WHITE WINE: I use Sutter Home Chardonnay for all of my recipes when calling for white wine
- **NO SALT: Between the dressing and the brines, this dish will be well balanced without adding extra salt
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