Taco Tuesday: Cuban Pulled Pork Tacos with a Guava Glaze, Orange & Jicama Slaw, and Chipotle Mayo

Hello February! How did you get here so fast? I feel like the time is getting away from me and it's going ot be April before I know it. 5am is entirely too early to be at the gym, but dammit I have to stick to my resolutions!! February is going to be a very busy month for me, and I will be out of town 3 out of 4 weekends, which is a major cramp in my usual routine...so I'm trying to plan ahead and make sure I can still fulfill my personal goals and obligations. It's tough, let me tell you!

When I saw this recipe on The Food Network website, I thought, "Hey, this is definitely something different!" And then as I read the recipe a little closer I noted that I would need to make some modifications as I didn't have a roaster, but I didn't realize just how many changes I would need to make until the day I was going to make it and I practically had to re-write the entire recipe! I was worried about how it would turn out since the cooking method was completely different than the original, but the results were surprisingly amazing!

I was nervous that the sauce was going to make it too sweet but the chipotle mayo was the perfect spicy off-set to all the sweetness. I am becoming increasingly fond of pulled pork tacos - 2 for 2 so far! Give these a try...and I recommend a weekly taco night, too ;)

Cuban Pulled Pork Tacos with Guava Glaze,
Orange & Jicama Slaw, and Chipotle Mayo
Adapted from: Bobby Flay

Ingredients

• 2 lb boneless pork loin roast, cut into large (3-4 inch) pieces
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 Tbsp dried oregano leaves
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• salt, to taste
• 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, or enough to cover the bottom of the pot
• 2 cups orange juice
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 guava jelly
• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 Tbsp orange juice
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice
• pepper, to taste
• 8-10 flour (or corn) tortillas
• Chipotle Mayo (recipe follows)
• Orange & Jicama Slaw (recipe follows)

Chipotle Mayo

• 1/4 cup light mayo or miracle whip
• 1 Tbsp chipotles in adobo, pureed
• 1 Tbsp lime juice

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth

Orange and Jicama Slaw

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup grated jicama (grated on large holes of a box grater)
• 1/4 cup grated carrot
• 1/4 cup orange segments, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk together orange juice, lime juice, honey, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the jicama, carrots, oranges, cilantro, and season with salt & pepper.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare the slaw and chipotle mayo and refrigerate while cooking pork.
3. Combine canola oil, oregano, garlic, and salt in a bowl. Take pork pieces and coat each side with the mixture.
4. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned pork pieces and sear all sides until browned, about 1 minute per side. Remove pork from the pot.
5. Pour in the 2 cups of orange juice and apple cider vinegar and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze and release the browned bits of pork. Bring mixture to a boil.
6. Add in the seared pork. Cover and place in the oven for 1/2 hour.
7. Meanwhile, combine the Guava jelly, Dijon mustard, orange, and lime juices in a small pot, and heat over medium heat. Stir until jelly is melted, remove from heat and season with pepper. Set aside until pork is done.
8. Remove from oven, turn pork pieces and return to the oven uncovered. Cook for an additional 1 1/2 hours, or until the pork is fork-tender, turning 1-2 times during the process.
9. Shred pork with 2 forks, and toss with the guava sauce.
10. Warm tortillas, top with chipotle mayo, pork, and slaw.