Asian Pulled Pork Tacos Simmered with Mirin Wine, Soy and Brown Sugar topped with Pineapple Salsa and Cilantro Lime Crema

This pulled pork is simmered in a salty, yet slightly sweet and savory broth. The final product can be served in so many different ways and it keeps for days, so get creative. This recipe is an adaption, changed up quite a bit from a class that I took at Fairchild Tropical Gardens some time ago with Chef Johnson Teh who owns several yummy Asian restaurants in Miami. The pulled pork can be served on warm flour tortillas like in this recipe or on gluten free corn tortillas or on traditional Chinese rice bao buns, or Hawaiian Rolls for a party appetizer. I have used it here to top tortillas, but it is equally good to serve as an appetizer by topping crispy tortilla chips to make nachos. I like to make a nacho station where everyone serves themselves. This recipe is with soy, but you can substitute a gluten free Tamari or a Coco Amino Acids, if that is your culinary preference. The recipe takes a few hours to simmer so that the pork gets tender and just falls apart. If you wish to de-fat the pork thoroughly, then just make it the day before, drain the liquid off, refrigerate it and then de-fat the sauce the next day by scraping off the layer that forms on the top. Then reduce the sauce, add the shredded pork back back to it, stir and serve. You do not need to do this step. It is just if you are being extra health conscious and want to remove as much fat as possible. Most people do not add this step.

Prep Time: 15 minutes (If you have at the butcher trim the skin off of your pork butt, it will be less labor intensive)

Cooking Time: 2-3 hours or all day in a slow cooker while you are at work

Serves: 4 as a main course for dinner or 8 as an appetizer served like nachos

Ingredients - Pulled Pork:

5 lbs. pork butt (bone-in)

1 cup soy sauce or gluten free alternative

1 cup Mirin (Japanese rice wine)

1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

3 Bay leaves

6 cups water (or more to cover the pork butt)

Ingredients - Pineapple Salsa:

2 cups chopped pineapple

¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves

2 green onions sliced

1 Tbs red onion, diced

Juice from ½ a lime

½ tsp salt or more to taste

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Ingredients - Cilantro Lime Crema:

9 oz sour cream

½ tsp salt

1 bunch cilantro leaves with steams included

Juice of 1 lime

For Serving:

Tortillas, corn or wheat

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

Sliced avocados

Pickled Red Onions, search my website for a great quick 15 minute recipe

or Sliced red onions

Chopped Cilantro

Crumbled Mexican Queso Fresco

Directions:

1. De-skin your pork butt if you have not already had your butcher do it. Cut the pork butt into 4-5 inch chunks, removing any extra pieces of fat it you can. You can leave a lot of the pork on the bone, the bone will provide some nutrients in your broth and add an additional extra flavor to your sauce. Place the pork pieces and the bone with the meat attached into a large stockpot and stir in the Mirin, the Soy or your gluten-free alternative, the brown sugar and your bay leaves. Stir and cover. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours or until the pork is falling off the bones or can be removed from the bone easily by flaking it off with a fork. Add water as necessary so that the pork remains covered.

2. Meanwhile, while the pork is cooking, place all of the ingredients for the Cilantro Lime Crema into a blender. Blend until smooth and refrigerate until you are ready to serve the tacos. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. For the pineapple salsa: chop the pineapple, toss in the lime juice and all of the other ingredients for the pineapple salsa. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

4. When the pork is ready, Remove the meat from the cooking liquid. Either reserve the liquid and refrigerate it overnight to remove the layer of fat, or if serving right away, try to remove as much fat that has risen to the top as possible. Shred the meat. Return the sauce to the stovetop. Reduce until the sauce is reduced to half the amount. Use 2 cups of the reduced reserved cooking liquid to stir into the meat so that the meat is favorable and saucy.

5. Serve the pulled pork on a tortilla with a little pineapple salsa, cilantro lime crema, chopped tomatoes, crumbled mexican cheese, sliced red onions or preferably pickled red onions (on site) Top with avocado slices and extra chopped cilantro.