Slow Cooker

Slow-Cooker Pork Chili Tacos

by:
September  3, 2019
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Slow-Cooker Pork Chili Tacos
Photo by Risa B
  • Prep time 14 hours
  • Cook time 7 hours
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

I’ve been trying out vegetarian taco recipes recently, but this time I just really wanted something meaty and dripping with sauce. After I first had this coconut pork stew recipe from The New York Times, I knew it would work great in a taco shell. I adapted the recipe to a slow-cooker version so I could eat these tacos every day of the week. Just a few selected toppings - David Lebovitz's pickled radishes, mango, and cilantro - are all it takes to balance the flavors and textures of the pork and make these tacos sing. —Risa B

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Slow-cooker pork
  • 2.5 pounds boneless pork butt (fat trimmed), or pork stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
  • 1.5 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/2 cup dried yellow or green split peas
  • 2.5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, minced
  • 28 ounces can or package diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup coconut milk, solids and liquid whisked together
  • Toppings
  • 1 bunch radishes
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 very ripe mango, diced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, rough chop
  • 18 corn tortillas or bib lettuce leaves
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, combine the pork with the cumin, kosher salt, garam masala and cayenne. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Cover the split peas with boiling water to cover by 2 inches, and let soak overnight. Drain.
  3. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 8 minutes, or until tender and golden brown. Add cinnamon stick, garlic and jalapeño. Saute for 5 minutes, until the jalapeño is tender. Add the pork and any juices from the bowl and sauté until lightly browned all over, about 7 minutes.
  4. Transfer everything to a crock pot and stir in tomatoes, split peas and coconut milk and season with more salt, to taste. The pork should just be covered by liquid. If it’s not, add a little water until it is.
  5. Cook over low for at least 6 hours, until pork is tender and falling apart easily
  6. Slice the radishes into ¼ inch thick rounds.
  7. In a saucepan, bring the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a boil, until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat.
  8. Pack the radishes in a clean pint-sized jar and pour the hot liquid over them.
  9. Cover and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
  10. Top a corn tortilla (ideally lightly grilled) with the pork mixture, radishes, mango, and cilantro
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