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Spicy Pork Birria Tacos

Source: Pitmaster Joe Pearce

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PREP TIME

60 mins

COOK TIME

20 mins

SERVING SIZE

7

What You’ll Need

For the chipotle sauce: 

 

1 7-ounce can chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce

1 whole lime

1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon® ham base

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 packet taco seasoning

3 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth

 

For the spicy shredded pork: 

 

4-5 pounds Prairie Fresh® pork shoulder butt (most pork butts are 8-10 pounds, buy a whole butt and cut in half, save the other half for another meal)

1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 4-ounce can, diced green chiles (drained)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup chicken stock

2 bay leaves

 

For Birria tacos: 

 

2 pounds spicy shredded pork

1 cup cooked chipotle sauce from multi-cooker pot

12-16 corn tortillas

1 cup quesadilla cheese

Directions

  1. To make the chipotle sauce, add all chipotle sauce ingredients to a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Set aside. 
  2. To make the spicy shredded pork, cut pork into 6-8 large pieces. Season with taco seasoning packet and 1/2 tablespoon each of salt and pepper. 
  3. Add vegetable oil to multi-cook pot and select the sauté setting. When hot, add pork and cook until browned on all sides. 
  4. Remove the browned pork from the multi-cooker pot and set aside. Add onion to multi-cooker pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes until soft. 
  5. Add in 1 cup chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the multi-cooker pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add tomato paste, green chiles and bay leaves. 
  6. Press 'cancel' or 'keep warm/cancel' on multi-cooker pot. Return pork to the pot and pour pureed chipotle sauce over the top. Cut the lime in half and squeeze over the top of the pork. Place both halves of the lime on top of the meat.
  7. Close lid securely and make sure the valve is set to 'sealing'. Pressure cook and adjust the +/- button until it reads 60 minutes. 
  8. When finished cooking, carefully turn the valve to 'venting' for a quick pressure release. When all of the steam has escaped, and the pin has dropped, remove the lid and discard the bay leaves. 
  9. Remove the pork pieces to a large bowl and shred. Toss shredded pork with as much of the cooking liquid as you'd like. 
  10. To make the birria tacos, heat a large skillet/griddle over medium heat. 
  11. Dip the corn tortilla into the reserved grease from the broth. Then place on heated griddle, top with the shredded meat and cheese. 
  12. Fold the taco over and press down with a spatula. Continue cooking until the taco is crisp and golden on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Then flip and continue cooking the other side. If needed, spoon some additional grease onto the tortilla while it cooks to add more color to the tortilla. Cook until both sides are crisp. Remove from heat and allow to cool briefly before serving, will be very hot. Continue until all tacos are cooked.
  13. Top tacos with fresh cilantro and onion if desired. 
  14. Serve with a ramekin of the leftover sauce from the multi-cooker pot, dip the taco and enjoy. 
Chef's note: It's OK if some of the cheese leaks out while frying the tacos, the golden cheese is the best part!
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