No Tortillas

This weekend was the 2nd Annual HOA BBQ for my complex.  After last year's success, I had no choice but to go to the animal everyone else strayed from, and to make it awesome.  I decided to braise pork shoulder in salsa verde, which isn't something I'd done previously, but think will work.  Then after braising, I'd pull the shoulder for taco meat, and top with pickled red onions, and cotija cheese.

I already experimented with braising chicken thighs in salsa verde, and it turned out tasty, which is why I think using a superior animal should turn out satisfactory for my neighbors.  The pork fat will richen the salsa/braising liquid, and any leftover will make a good dip for chips.  Since I'm counting on fat to make the dish, I start by picking up a Berkshire's shoulder from Becker Lane Organic, who happens to attend every Green City Market.

Since my awesome blender broke, the first step is to create a chopped salsa verde.  While tomatillos are dry roasting for an hour in a 350 Dg oven, dry roast, in a heavy pan, serrano chiles and garlic cloves with their papery skin on.  The goal is to make the chiles black all over, and to do the same (less thoroughly) to the garlic skins, but not to the actual clove, which will be soft when the process is finished.  I've found that this process is best not rushed, otherwise the outside gets blackened before the insides soft, so set the burner to 4-ish, aka medium.  Once everything is cooked, the tomatillos go in a bowl for beating via fork, then  rough chop the garlic and serranos, and add to the tomatillos with a finish of salt and chopped cilantro.

Next, brown the shoulder in a heavy bottomed pot on all sides.  By the end, there should be close to an inch pool of fat, to be left in its entirety.  Remove the pork and set to the side.  Add a diced white onion to the rippling fat filled pan, and fry until translucent.  The onion should clean the bottom of the pot, picking up any meaty bits the pork left behind.  Reintroduce the shoulder to the pan, and pour in the salsa verde.  Water can be used to raise the cooking liquid level--the shoulder should not be completely submerged, but look like a medium sized island.  Cover, and place in a 300 Dg oven for at least an hour per pound, preferable 90 minutes.  

Once the braising is complete, remove the pork, and return the liquid filled pot to the stove and simmer to reduce.  Pull the pork apart and reintroduce to the cooking liquid; re-season with salt.  30 minutes should be enough to remove excess liquid, and strengthen all of the flavors.

By the end, the fat should have liquified the onions, broken down any tomatillo skins that didn't mash well, and tenderized the pork, similar to a confit style.  The spicy, luscious pork can be enjoyed with a fork, or on a tortilla chip, which adds a great salty crunch for textural contrast.  Just ask my neighbors--they devoured over half of it this way while I was warming tortillas for taco assembly (none of which got eaten).

Comments

[Chef E]

I would have eaten that off an old pair of shoes; it would make anything taste darn good! I love salsa verde, love it! you can have my cupcake, since I am trying to lose weight I want none around me. However I am not going to stop eating meat like this!

[sippitysup]

I can always count on you for pig. Delicious looking pig at that... GREG