Best Pork Rind Tacos Recipes

BRAISED PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Put the chiles into a small bowl and cover with hot water; set aside. In a large heavy bottomed pan with a tight fitting lid, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil. Generously season the pork with salt and pepper. Brown the meat well on both sides, about 5 minutes per side; remove the meat and set aside. Add the onion, pepper, garlic, cumin, thyme, and bay leaf; fry until softened, about 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits in the pan. Stem and seed the soaked chiles reserving the soaking liquid; hand tear them into the pot. Return the meat to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Top the meat with the tomatoes. Pour in the chili soaking liquid, straining out any seeds, until it almost covers the meat; add water if you need more liquid. Squeeze the orange and lime juices into the pot and add the rinds. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the pork is very tender. Remove the meat to a platter and cover to keep warm. Strain the braising liquid and reserve.
• Shred the pork. Add some of the reserved braising liquid if the meat is dry. Take a tortilla and place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture on top. Garnish with the avocado, radishes, and Salsa Verde; fold the sides up and serve.
• Put the masa harina in a bowl and mix in the salt. Add about 1 cup warm water and mix with your hands; add more water as needed until the dough comes together. Knead for a few minutes to smooth the dough out. The dough should be firm and springy and should not stick to your hands. Test by forming a small disk, if it cracks around the edges you need more water.
• Place a piece of heavy plastic (like from a garbage bag) onto a tortilla press. Form a 1 1/2-inch ball of dough and place it in the center of the press. Top with another piece of plastic, close the press, and push the lever down to form the tortilla. (Alternately, the dough balls can be rolled between plastic sheets with a rolling pin.) Open the press and remove the top layer of plastic. Carefully peel the tortilla off the bottom plastic and place it onto a hot, ungreased cast iron skillet; cook for about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the tortilla and place it on a clean tea towel; keep it covered to keep it soft and pliable. Continue until you have used up all the dough.
• Yield: 20 (6-inch) tortillas
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the tomatillos are soft but have not burst. Add the cooked vegetables to a blender with the cilantro leaves and lime juice. Pour in 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and process to a coarse puree. Taste and adjust seasoning with more cilantro, lime juice, or salt.
• Yield: 2 cups

CHICHARRONES TACOS

Steps:

• In a large, heavy skillet, add the pork fat and salt and cook over low heat until the pork has fully rendered its fat and the pieces are puffed and airy, about 40 minutes. Transfer the chicharrones to a large saucepan, add the tomatillo salsa, and cook on medium-high heat until the sauce is almost dried up and coats the chicharrones, about 9 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and serve immediately, or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.
• To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with garnish and salsa. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with garnish and salsa, fold, and eat right away.

CRAVE-WORTHY GROUND PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Heat a wide skillet over medium heat then add the oil. When the oil is hot, press the pork down into the pan, spreading it out as thin as you can so that it browns evenly on one side, about 5 minutes.
• When it begins to brown on one side, use a wooden spoon to break the pork up into small crumbles. Continue to cook until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes.
• Toss 1 tablespoon of the taco seasoning with the pork. Taste a small crumble to see if it needs more seasoning and adjust from there - when using our homemade taco seasoning mix, we use 2 tablespoons.
• Stir in the water and let it come to a simmer. The mixture will thicken and coat the pork. Season with a pinch or two of salt (if you are using packaged seasoning, it may already have salt added).
• Wrap tortillas, in two stacks, with aluminum foil. Place into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through. Fill each warmed tortilla with pork and your favorite toppings. We particularly love these with mashed avocado spread onto the bottom of each tortilla then topped with pork, cabbage, pickled onions and sour cream.

SIZZLING PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Season the pork generously with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, chile powder and cumin, and mix well, massaging the seasoning into the meat with fingers. Let the meat marinate for at least an hour, or refrigerate overnight.
• Heat the oil in a wide cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the oil looks wavy, add the meat and let it sizzle, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep meat warm.
• Heat the tortillas on an ungreased hot griddle or cast iron pan. Turn them once or twice until hot and slightly puffed. As they come off the griddle, stack them on a cloth napkin to steam, with another napkin on top.
• To assemble the tacos, stack 2 hot tortillas on a plate. Spoon on a little sizzled pork, then top with a spoonful of tomatillo salsa and another of salsa cruda. Garnish with radishes and cilantro sprigs. Serve and eat immediately.

SLOW-ROASTED PORK FOR TACOS

Steps:

• Sliver 4 cloves of the garlic and use a thin-bladed knife to poke holes all over the pork; insert garlic slivers in holes.
• Combine the peppercorns, oregano, cumin, cinnamon and coriander in a small skillet and turn the heat to medium. Toast, shaking the pan occasionally, until the mixture is fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Combine the toasted spices, salt and remaining garlic in the container of a small food processor or blender. Turn on the machine and gradually add the orange and lemon juice until you have a smooth purée. Rub all over the pork; let the pork sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
• At least 2 hours before you plan to eat, turn the oven to 300 degrees or prepare a charcoal or gas grill to cook over low indirect heat. Put the pork in a roasting pan in the oven or directly on the grill rack; if you're grilling, cover the grill. Cook, checking occasionally and basting with the pan juices if you're roasting (add water to bottom of pan if mixture dries out), until pork is brown and very, very tender, at least 2 hours. Shred or slice pork and use hot or at room temperature (pork can be refrigerated for up to 2 days).

PORK RIND TACOS

Steps:

• Break up rinds. If you are using salted pork rinds, mix them with water. Bring to a boil, and drain. If unsalted, skip this step. Combine rinds, onion, tomato, cilantro, chilies, vinegar, and 1 cup water. Season to your liking. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 - 15 minutes. Heat corn tortillas on a griddle. Fill with mixture and serve.