Smoky Coffee-Braised Pulled Pork Tacos
Serves a crowd (we froze our leftover pork--it's great in omelets and on sandwiches), but the recipe is easily halved
by: Three Many Cooks
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. pork butt or pork shoulder trimmed and cut into large chunks
- 4 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 large Spanish onion, diced
- 10 large garlic cloves, minced
- 5-6 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, minced (we toasted and rehydrated dried chipotle chiles, but canned is easier)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. cloves
- 2 cups chicken broth, more if necessary
- 2 cups very strong brewed coffee
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. salt, more to taste
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- Corn tortillas (store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Generously season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven (or large soup kettle with a snug, oven-proof lid) over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, sear the meat until browned on all sides. When brown, remove the meat and set aside. Sauté the onion until soft, then add the garlic and chipotles. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is just beginning to brown. Add the cinnamon and cloves and sauté until fragrant, another minute. Return the meat to the pot and stir to coat with the spices. Add the tomatoes, broth, coffee, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Place a sheet of heavy-duty foil over the pot. Using pot holders, press the foil down so that it touches the surface of the stew. Seal foil completely around the edges. Place lid snugly on pot. Set pot in oven and cook for 1 hour. After 1 hour, carefully remove the lid and foil and stir in the raisins and almonds. (Add more broth here, if the sauce is starting to look too thick.) Replace the foil and return the pot to the oven for another 30 minutes, or until the pork is fork-tender.
- When the pork is done, remove the chunks of meat from the sauce and pull the pork with two forks. Meanwhile, set the pot over medium heat and reduce the sauce to your desired thickness, seasoning to taste, if necessary. Stir the pulled pork back into the sauce, and serve.
- We filled our tacos with shredded cabbage, black beans, salsa verde, Mexican crema (sour cream is fine), and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
Notes
*This recipe is adapted from Rick Bayless’ Mexican Kitchen
Been waiting nearly two weeks for this recipe, and I’m SO EXCITED! I use coffee in everything too, Shaz. It’s great in beef stew, and amazing in my grandpa’s chocolate mayonnaise cake, which I think you agreed with. I seem to remember you hoovering that in before Maggy’s fundraiser thing last year. The recipe’s over on Bluebonnets and Brownies if you want to have that for dessert next time, though it’d be hard to top spicy chocolate ice cream. Maybe spicy chocolate icing on the cake?
Don’t let anyone give you a hard time about your coffee consumption, Sharon–After all, you are an Anderson. You can’t help it. And look at Grandpa
Anderson. He used to take a thermos to work every day and at noon while he was home ffor lunch he would fill it up again…need I say more?! 🙂
The recipe looks fantastic!
I love coffee so much that I’m wondering why there isn’t a coffee perfume for us junkies! Sharon, this recipe looks amazing — you make your mama proud for sure!
Can I omit the coffee in recipe: Smokey coffee braised pulled pork tacos –
or replace with another flavor ??
Although it will lack the flavor depth of the coffee, you can substitute chicken broth for the coffee. You could also substitute red or white wine or beer as well.