Around our house "what's for dinner" is considered a priority question:).
We like good food and think it's worth a little effort...........but then like everyone, our busy schedule can mean that without planning and prep good things don't just happen!
We're always looking for ways we can prepare multiple portions for later use and on the hunt for those "keeper" recipes that end up becoming standby favorites.
We enjoy smoking our own meats.......pork tenderloin, turkey, brisket, etc. We buy several of whatever cut we plan to smoke......brine or season and then smoke, vacuum seal and freeze. This way we end up with numerous meals to enjoy from our days's effort.
A favorite recipe we have come to love is this one for Cilantro Lime Smoked Pork Tacos. It encompasses what we consider the basic elements of a standby recipe.... it's easy, quick and the flavor never disappoints. If you're not into smoking your own pork, you can purchase it... so no excuses for not trying this out:)
The first thing you'll want to do is dice one medium onion ( we've used both sweet and yellow) as well slice one medium jalapeño ( here is where you can adjust per your family's taste......if you like spicy, use more jalapeño, if you don't, reduce a bit and remove seeds. We like a little heat to ours and usually use one whole large jalapeño or two medium. You're going to saute the onion and jalapeño in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, so keep in mind this will tame them a bit
(I said "a bit", so if you're a pepper heat "tenderfoot" adjust as needed but, for goodness sake, don't rob yourself of the resulting goodness of the jalapeño heat mixed with the savory pork:)
(That lime is just waiting there for it's cue)
Add the onion and jalapeño, along with either a diced Roma tomato or a few chopped cherry tomatoes to your pan and saute for about 10 minutes til onions are soft. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and simmer while you prep your meat.
Tip: If you don't have fresh tomatoes on hand, raid the pantry for a can of chopped tomatoes.... this works fine.... You won't need the whole can and can reserve half of it in a container in the fridge for another purpose.
Take approximately 1 lb. smoked pork and cut into small pieces. We find the simplest way to do this is to slice your cold pork about 1/2 thick and then cut these slices into small pieces. One of our cutting boards is perfect for this task...... https://theprodigalcarpenter.net/collections/cutting-boards
Meanwhile, your onions, jalapeño and tomato should be getting well acquainted and becoming deliciously chummy with each other:)
Add your pork and 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro with the juice of one fresh lime. Salt and pepper to taste, add another splash of chicken broth if needed and simmer on low for several minutes to allow flavors to merge well.
Serve this with warmed flour tortillas and sour cream.
You will want to repeat this again:)
Cilantro Lime Pork Tacos
1 lb smoked, cooked pork... sliced and cut into small pieces
1 medium onion diced ( yellow or sweet)
1 medium jalapeno sliced thinly
1 cup chopped tomato ( fresh preferably, but canned will do)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped finely
juice of 1 lime
fresh ground black pepper
kosher salt
Leave a comment