Shredded Pork Tacos

One of the people I follow on Twitter is Deb, editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. She recently shared a link to a recipe for shredded pork tacos. And since I've been craving Mexican food, I decided to give it a try last weekend.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (3-pound) boneless pork shoulder, cut in half lengthwise *
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in juice
1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce (from a small can), minced (about 4 teaspoons)

* I couldn't find a boneless shoulder, so I used a 3 1/2 pound bone-in "picnic" roast. I did not cut it in half.

Directions:

• In a large (5-quart) heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, garlic, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste, tomatoes (breaking them up) and their juice, chipotle, and 1 cup water. Add pork.
  
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (I cooked mine more like 3 hours). Discard bay leaves.
• Using tongs, transfer meat to a cutting board; shred with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat or gristle.
  
• Return meat to pan, and simmer until sauce is thick, 30 to 45 minutes more. Season, if necessary, with salt and pepper.
  

I made soft tacos with the meat using toasted corn tortillas (you can simply heat them right over a gas burner on the stove or in a non-stick skillet), shredded pepper jack cheese, shredded cabbage, and sour cream.

I also used the meat--this recipe make A LOT--to make nachos & tostadas (fry a corn tortilla in a bit of oil until crispy).

The tacos were so good, I didn't wait to take pics. Here are the nachos, though.
Holy god, they were good!

This slow-cooked pork is very tender, and the sauce is flavorful with a bit of a kick. A few of my friends tried the tacos & nachos, and everyone liked them!

Thanks, Deb!