Cholula & Beer-Braised Pork Tacos

Cholula & Beer-Braised Pork Tacos
3.4 from 5 ratings
Feel free to garnish the tacos further as you wish, maybe with avocado, lime, some Cotija cheese, and charred scallions.—Hugh Acheson, author of The Chef and the Slow Cooker
Servings
18
servings
Ingredients
  • 8 pound bone-in pork shoulder
  • kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup lard
  • 3 small onions: 1 large-diced, 2 minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1/2 cup cholula original hot sauce
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 24 tortillas
  • 2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
  • 4 limes, cut into wedges
  • tomatillo salsa verde
  • 2 cup coarsely chopped tomatillos
  • 1 small sweet onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 packed cup fresh cilantro stems and leaves
  • 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon thinly sliced seeded serrano chiles
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • kosher salt
Directions
  1. Preheat a large slow cooker on the low setting for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels and season it very well all over with salt and the pepper. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, and when the oil is shimmering, add the pork shoulder and sear it for 5 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer the pork to the slow cooker.
  3. Add the lard to the skillet set over medium heat, and once it has melted, add the large-diced onion and the garlic; cook for 5 minutes, until softening. Add this to the slow cooker, along with the coriander, cinnamon, lime juice, Cholula Original Hot Sauce, and the beer. Cover with the lid and cook on the low setting for 12 hours while you drink the remaining beer.
  4. Place a large skillet over medium heat, and add a half of the canola oil. Griddle the tortillas for about 30 seconds per side until warmed through and toasty. As you process through the tortillas place them in a resealable plastic bag to stay warm.
  5. Put the braised pork into a serving vessel and serve with the warm tortillas, the minced onion, cotija, lime wedges, and Tomatillo Salsa Verde, plus any other toppings you love on a taco. And plenty of Cholula.
  6. Combine the tomatillos, onion, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, chiles, and olive oil in a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt, to taste. This can be prepared ahead of time, and will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
  7. Reprinted from "The Chef and the Slow Cooker" by Hugh Acheson. Copyright © 2017 by Fried Pie, LLC. Photographs copyright © 2017 by Andrew Thomas Lee. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.