High Life Pork Tacos
Yancey has a weakness for Miller High Life. Longneck bottles. Pretty much the only place you can find them are scary corner stores, so I've discovered I quite like drinking cheap beer out of a can. Everything comes around, I guess. I remember so many summer reunions in my grandparents' back yard, an icy cooler of Hamm's in the screened-in back porch, my uncles popping them open while they played croquet with my aunts on the lawn.
I quite like deglazing pork bits with Miller High Life as well. This pork was absolutely divine. I made a big pot of drunken beans and let everyone make their own tacos. Wyatt and Yancey were playing catch outside. When he smelled the meat, Wyatt raced in and hovered, pulling crispy bits off and devouring them. This post is sounding very all-American by now, isn't it? It's true--Wyatt is starting to like baseball. And he's got a hefty amount of talent and coordination. My unbiased opinion, of course.
And my very biased opinion is that, when you pull this succulent meat from your Dutch oven, you'll be praised for your talent, too. High life, indeed.
High Life Pork Tacos
These tacos would be delicious with just meat and a little bit of salsa. But you can put lots of other things in them, as I've suggested.
For pork:
3 1/2 or 4 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast
2 tsp. coarse salt
1 tb. dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. ancho chile powder
1 Tb. olive oil
1 12 oz. can beer
For tacos:
corn torillas
avocado slices
chopped cilantro
salsa
pinto beans
pickled jalapenos
finely diced onion
lime wedges
Preheat oven to 350.
In small bowl, mix salt, oregano, garlic powder, pepper, and ancho chile. Spread mixed spices out on a large piece of parchment paper, and roll pork in them until each side is coated evenly.
Heat olive oil up in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat until shimmering. Add pork, and brown each side until crisping up, about 2 minutes per side. After all sides are browned, deglaze the pan with the beer, stirring to remove browned bits and letting simmer for a couple minutes till reduced a bit.
Put a lid on the Dutch oven, turn pork so any layer of fat it has is on top, and cook for about 2 1/2 hours, until meat is falling-apart-tender and liquid is gone. Gently break apart into small hunks and serve with tortillas and taco fixings.
April 23, 2010
Reader Comments (31)
Now that I've read this, I think I've begun the wrong (read: harder, and less appealing!) meal for our book group's meeting here tomorrow afternoon! Next time, I'll consult you first! Thanks for the great ideas!!!! I won't tell the book group that there was a better idea; I'll keep them in the dark.
Mmmmm, pork.
Is the bottom of your recipe missing?
Nope. Just a typo. Fixed now :)
i am so ready for a beer and 3 of these, please.
This is reason to celebrate. Wyatt we're taking you to a Mariner's game. I've been waiting for this day for a really long time. Before we go we'll have your mom make us drunken beans and High Life Tacos, and we'll pretend we are all American. Can sis go with us?
high life tacos! beer in a can! i didn't know life could get this great. i just bookmarked your page; as soon as we get through the case of shlitz tall boys we bought on steep sale at the liquor store, i'm going back to our high life standby and making these.
Hi Sarah! You don't know me, but I found your blog via other blogs not too long ago. I live in Bellingham and have attended HC forever and love your folks. Anyway, just wanted to say that I really enjoy your blog. I LOVE to cook, so it's always fun to be inspired by the creations of others. Your creations have definitely inspired me. :)
The NYT had a recession cook-off last year (something like, "feed 8 people 5 courses for $20), and the main dish very like this. So your title made me giggle -- because braised pork shoulder is dirt cheap to buy, but eats like a million bucks. Love this.
Welcome, Kitty!
This is one of our favorite crockpot dishes and it freezes well too. I'll try adding a beer next time. Thanks for all your fantastic recipes and stories. Your recipes have taken over my recipe binder and I love it!
I tried this out tonight and the aroma filled the entire house when it was cooking. Turned out the meat so tender and deliciously flavorful! Thanks for the beer idea, I used dark beer and it's really good as expected.
Just wondering if you think this recipe would work in a pressure cooker? I usually cook my roast in one and don't see why it wouldn't work, but just asking.
OMG, you totally brought back memories for me! My Dad was one of the designers of the Hamm's beer can - and although my father rarely drank beer, we always had different shaped Hamm's beers in our downstairs fridge!
Love the idea of this one - thanks!
I've got memories of celebrating in the Westminster parking lot with the champagne of beers in a can after Yancey's last night on session.
Love this posting and play on words.
Sarah,
I notice that you use Dutch Oven's a lot in your recipes. Can you offer any tips as to what to look for when buying one?
Hi Sarah,
Can you please tell me about your corn torillas? They look more textured than the ones I currently have at home. Also -- how do you heat yours? Just warmed with no added fats?
Thanks,
Julie
Hi Andrew! I have the mother of all Dutch oven, Le Crueset. It was a gift ,but I know it put the giver out a couple hundred clams. Since I got mine, there have been a lot more dipped enamel options on the market. Emeril makes a good line of them that are quite a bit more affordable, and I even saw that Target carries a line of them now. I've never heard one teensy bad word spoken about a Le Crueset, and it's still the one I'd buy if I wanted to go to my grave with it. But check around. And I'd be interested to hear what other readers are using...
Julie! What is up with all your commenting?! Love it. Recently, I've found these "homemade style" corn tortillas at Red Apple on Beacon Hill and, amazingly, at my 7-Elevenesque Safeway on Othello. They are really great. They're with all the other tortillas on the end of the aisle. I forget the brand, but they say "homemade style" on them.
And I have a tortilla warmer, which is one of my most-used kitchen gadgets. A few bucks in the Mexican food aisle at the grocery store, made of thick plastic. I stick a stack of trotillas in there, then put it in the microwave. They get wonderfully supple, so don't need extra fat.
Andrew, I'll cast a vote for the LeCrueset, too! I've had mine for well over 25 years. It is well used and looks almost new. I also have a very old cast iron Dutch oven which I like very much. It's so heavy, but such great results.
I've got the pork shoulder roasting in the oven right now. The house smells just wonderful! Can't wait for the tacos. Thanks, Sarah!
I have a huge Le Creuset dutch oven given me in 1979, and I have used it 3 or 4 times a week that whole time! But I've watched folks I love and trust acquire other brands of enamel cast iron dutch ovens, and love them! They really do seem functional in all the same ways, and except for the unequivocal replacement guarantee from Le Creuset, they're so much more reasonable in cost. It's a weighed option.
I guess I figure you need treats in your monkey cage, too. ;-) Plus, commenting is fun!
i love 'accidentally' showing up at your place around dinner. those tacos were so damn good! high life, eh? should've known.
That karl... So darn subtle!
I love pork. Well, I should say that I love pork shoulder specifically. A cheap piece of meat slowly cooked to perfection. Our family got hit with the stomach bug and after a couple days of not eating, my first meal was carnitas (pork, oranges, spices)--a party in my mouth. I will put these on the list.
P.S. I think my girls are the same way as Wyatt. When a good piece of meat comes to the table--they devour it. It could be due to the fact we eat meat a couple times a week.
Aloha~ these look so delicious...just found you with a google search for 'pork tacos with a roaster oven'. Obviously, you didn't use a roaster but I am sure it would work. I am making an enormous amount of tacos next week and was looking for mental confirmation. ha.
the beer sounds like a great idea (i was planning to use tequila/orange juice - "fancy carnitas") ; I am making frijolos borrachos too~ great palates chew together!!