These Achiote Roasted Pork Tacos Are Made With Succulent Slow Roasted, Chile Rubbed, Pork And Bring An Authentic Yucatán-Style Experience To Your Home!
When I’m craving a good, authentic, Mexican pork taco, here’s the receta I immediately turn too. I’m talking, close your eyes, take a bite and you just might think you’re in Me-he-co! I’m in Cabo by the way and the weather is perfect! This is another recipe from the fabulous Rick Bayless. Do you have his cookbooks yet? If you don’t let me tell ya you’re really missing out. The breadth of his work is really amazing and he manages to deliver absolute authenticity every time. Thank you, Senior Bayless, for giving me this amazing taco recipe!!!
Achiote Roasted Pork Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 Medium About 1 Ounce Total Dried Ancho Chiles, Stemmed and Seeded
- 4 Medium About 1 Ounce Total Guajillo Chiles, Stemmed and Seeded
- 2 Dried Bay Leaves
- 2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 Small White Onion Roughly Chopped, Plus a Few Slices Broken into Rings
- 2 Garlic Cloves Chopped
- 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Marjoram
- 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Ground Allspice
- 1 Pinch Dried Ground Cloves
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Pounds Lean Boneless Pork Shoulder or Boston Butt Roast
Instructions
- The chile paste. Place the chiles in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and let stand 30 minutes to rehydrate, stirring occasionally to ensure even soaking. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of liquid, then transfer chiles and reserved liquid to a food processor or blender.
- Pulverize the bay leaves in a spice grinder or a mortar, then add to the blender, along with the vinegar, onion, garlic, mixed herbs, allspice and cloves. Process to a smooth puree (adding a little more water if needed to keep the mixture moving through the blades); press through a medium-mesh strainer into a small bowl
- Set a large (6-quart) pot with a lid (preferably a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat and add the oil or lard. When hot enough to make a drop of the puree really sizzle, add it all at once. Stir constantly as the puree sears concentrate and darken into a spicy-smelling paste, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt.
- Seasoning and pot-roasting the meat. Turn on the oven to 325 degrees. If you are using pork shoulder or butt, cut it into slabs roughly 3 inches thick (try to get them all about the same thickness so they'll cook evenly); leave a picnic ham whole, but make 1-inch-deep incisions every few inches all over the meat. Lay the meat into the pot with the chile paste, then flip it over to cover with the chile (slathering with a spoon or spatula to give an even coating). Pour 1/2 cup water around the meat, cover tightly and place in the oven.
- Baste the meat every 30 minutes with the liquid and rendered fat that accumulates around it. After about 2 1/2 hours (the fresh ham may need another 1/2 to 1 hour), the meat will be fork-tender and will have darkened to an appetizing and crusty, rich, red-brown. If all the liquid evaporates during the cooking, leaving only chile paste and fat, dribble a little more water into the pan so you can go on basting. If time allows, let the pork stand, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes to reabsorb juices before serving.
- Serving the meat. Line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves. With the help of tongs, spatulas or meat forks, transfer the meat to the platter, then taste the pan juices and add a little more salt if necessary. Spoon the juices over the meat, then scatter the onion rings and radish slices over all, to create a riot of color and texture.
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Source: Rick Bayless
Yummy! These look delicious!
Oh my goodness this taco sounds fabulous! But then again, you can't go wrong with Bayless!
These look so delicious! Great photo too. Glad to find you through stumbleupon =)
Mmmm, that looks delicious and hearty! Margarita with mine, please!
Definitely will ask for a 2nd helping!
My family loves all things Mexican. This looks delicious. I will have to check out that cookbook:)
Lucky us- thanks to your cravings we now all have a wonderful amazing pork recipe to use for the weekend. The tacos look amazing and I can only imagine how flavorful they are
Time for me to hit taco bell. Richard
These look amazing!! I don't have any of his cookbooks on my list. Obviously, I am a total moron.
I think I will go for it if someone makes it less spicy for me 🙂
i really need to get a bayless cookbook, this sounds and looks just mouthwatering!
This looks delicious! It might be too advanced for me, but the idea is mouthwatering.
I'm drooling. Thank you for sharing your pork tacos. I'm eating a boring egg sandwich and wishing I had THIS to munch on. I hope you have a beautfiul day and weekend. We're getting close! Much love from Austin.
I am totally hooked by this photo – Im making this tonight and I'm going to have a happy family!
Mary
These are mouth-watering Kathleen! I need to get out my Rick Bayless cookbook more often. Have a great time in Cabo! xoxo
We absolutely LOVE every recipe we have ever tried from Rick Bayless, this is certainly one of our favorites! Your photos are fantastic, great post!
I don't know why I don't make tacos more often. They are so yummy!
Great job on the photography. Tacos can be hard to photograph when you can't get them to stand up.
I have no doubt these were amazing. Can you believe I don't have any of Rick Bayless' books? What am I thinking? Gorgeous flavors here.
I am telling you these really look amazing! I can just look at them a picture myself on a beach in Mexico eating these…please pass the margaritas! 🙂
This looks amazing.