I've mentioned the smoker before, and I'm brining it up again. Husband has been crazy about it since he opened it on Christmas morning. He's smoked a handful of pork shoulders to date, for barbecue and my personal favorite, for pork tacos. If you've never had the pleasure of the aroma that drifts from a smoker, my biggest apologies. It's one of my very favorite smells; it's really the best. So although I myself would never agree to do any of the meat smoking, I do enjoy husband taking on the task, about a15 hour task mind you, to put the best tasting pork on the table for dinner.
You can bet that he'll be smoking all kinds of different meats and fish over the coming months. But for now, he's perfecting the pork shoulder, and if I say so myself, he's got it down. All compliments to the chef!
Like I mentioned, smoked pork tacos have become my new obsession as of late. It's a new way to eat incredibly tasty pork, that provides variety to our weekly meal menu. The combination of flavors from the pork, mango + poblano relish, and homemade guacamole are out of this world. We like to serve up our tacos next to a pile of Mexican rice and sip on piña coladas on the side! Don't believe me? Just try it for yourself!
- What You'll Need
- Meat
- 8-10 pound pork butt
- Apple wood chips (for the smoker)
- Meat thermometer
- Meat syringe
- Brine
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1 TBSP salt
- 1 TBSP sugar
- Chili powder
- Marinade
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 6-8 garlic cloves
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- Dry Rub
- 1/2 light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup paprika
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1/4 cup dry mustard
- 2 TBSP Old Bay
- Freshly ground black pepper (several cranks)
- 1/2 TSP giner
- Mango + Poblano Relish
- 1 mango
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1/2 a large red onion, sliced
- Oregano
- Garlic Salt
- Guacamole
- 2 avocados
- Lemon juice
- Garlic salt
- Salt
- Sour cream
- Black Beans
- What You'll Do
- Meat
- Separately, combine all ingredients for the brine, marinade, and dry rub.
- Next put the pork butt in a crockpot lining bag or some other large bag that can be closed. Inject the meat with the brine using a meat syringe, inserting the syringe one to two inches apart over the entire pork butt.
- Pour the marinade over pork, making sure to cover the meat with it.
- Now rub the dry rub over the entire pork.
- Close the bag and store in the fridge for at least 12-24 hours.
- Once you are ready to smoke the meat, start by soaking the apple wood chips in water for at least 20 mintues.
- Put the pork in the smoker. Cook the meat for about an hour and a half per pound, until the internal temperature of the meat is 195°.
- Once the meat has reached temperature, remove it from the smoker. Wrap it entirely in tin foil, letting it sit for at least an hour.
- Mango + Poblano Relish
- Dice the mango up into chunks, and set aside
- Next dice the poblano pepper into very small chunks. Slice the red onion.
- Add the poblano pepper and onion to a frying pan drizzled with a little olive oil.
- Sprinkle with some oregano and garlic salt to taste.
- Sauté on medium heat until the onion is translucent.
- Add the mango and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Guacamole
- Puree the avocados using a fork for smashing. Add just a few squirts of lemon juice. Sprinkle with garlic salt and salt to taste. Start out slowly so that you don't over do it!
***Keep in mind this is a weekend recipe, unless of course you've got 15 hours or so to spare during the week. You will start this process the night before you intend to smoke the meat.
***Husband uses an electric smoker.
All the pork goes a long way, and you can serve up a whole bunch of meals from just one smoked pork butt!
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