74. Smoked Pork Shoulder Tacos with Ancho-Bourbon Sauce and Fresh Peach-Habañero Salsa

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I've been wanting to do a pork taco with peach salsa for a couple of weeks now.  I don't know . . . it just sounds like a great summer taco, doesn't it?

I finally had a chance to make a Whole Foods run.  I wanted to use high-quality pork shoulder and ripe peaches, and our local supermarkets generally don't have either of those things.  I almost never buy peaches, even in the summer.  They're just . . . sad!  There's nothing worse (at least in terms of produce) than a mealy, flavorless peach.  Ugh.  I've had pretty good luck with the tree-ripened peaches at Whole Foods, though.

Hmmm.  What goes with pork?  And peaches?  Bourbon - of course!  (Well, maybe not "of course", but you can see how my mind works!)  I wanted a spicy, rich, slightly sweet sauce to cover the pork and I decided that bourbon was just the ticket to make it pop!

Here I go with the stovetop smoker again.  I almost braised the pork in a Dutch oven, but once I thought about smoking it, I just had to do it.  Pork shoulder, peaches, and bourbon?  Why wouldn't you want a little smoke in there, too?  If you don't have a smoker, you can still make this.  In that case, I would just brown the pork on all sides in some olive oil and then proceed with the recipe.  You could even add a little bit of liquid smoke if you felt like it.  If you don't have one, though, consider clicking the link below and ordering one!  It's well worth it.  We've had ours for about four years and we use it all the time!  If you'd like more details about it, check out this review that I wrote a couple of months ago:  Cameron's Original Stovetop Smoker - A Review.



I also highly recommend the following cookbook, which has a lot of recipes that feature this type of smoker, along with a lot of basic instructions for cooking all kinds of different foods, including vegetables!



Anyway, since I need to start another taco recipe in about an hour (which will be number 75), I'll just get right to it.  I need to finish this post!

Here's the recipe:

Smoked Pork Shoulder Tacos with Ancho-Bourbon Sauce and Fresh Peach-Habañero Salsa

Serves about 4 (about 8 tacos, depending on your pork shoulder) 

Ingredients:

For the smoked pork shoulder with ancho-bourbon sauce:

2.5 lb. pork shoulder, generously seasoned with salt and pepper

1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 peach, peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped

2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. bourbon
A couple of sprigs each of fresh parsley and thyme
1/2 tsp. salt

For the fresh peach-habañero salsa:

2 ripe medium tomatoes
2 ripe peaches
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 habañero chile, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Four scallions, cut into taco-size lengths

A few oz. grated or crumbled cheese, your choice (I had leftover queso fresco, so that's what I used!)

8 to 16 corn tortillas, depending on their size and whether you plan to double them up

Instructions:

1.  Start the pork shoulder:  Place the seasoned pork shoulder in a stovetop smoker.  Rather than using the lid, cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil.  Smoke over medium-low heat (with 2 tbsp. oak or hickory chips) for about 40 minutes.  Start timing when you can see wisps of smoke.  Remove the smoker from the heat, and allow the pork to cool a bit on a heatproof surface in a ventilated area (preferably outside).  Preheat the oven to about 275 degrees.

2. While the pork is smoking, make the sauce:  Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.   Add the onions, lower the heat to medium low, and cook until they are soft and somewhat browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Add all of the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer.  Cook gently for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture has reduced slightly and thickened.

Remove the woody stems of the thyme sprigs, trying to leave behind as many of the leaves as possible.  (The parsley stems are fine.)  Blend the mixture with a hand blender until fairly smooth.  If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can carefully transfer the mixture to a high-powered blender (or regular blender) and blend until very smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings and set aside.

3. Finish the pork:  After the brisket has smoked, cut it into two large pieces and place it in a shallow baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray  Smother it in the sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for about 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours, or until very tender.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a bit.

4.  While the pork is cooking, make the peach salsa:  Place all of the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Set aside.

5.  Prepare the tortillas to your liking:  There are a few different ways you can do this.  When I am making tacos with soft corn tortillas, I heat a dry cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  I place a large sheet of aluminum foil near the pan.  I heat each tortilla in the skillet for about a minute or so on each side, or until it softens and begins to brown.

After each one is done, I place it on the foil and immediately start the next one.  I stack them on top of one another as I work.  When I'm done with the whole batch, I wrap them completely in the foil and place them in a 250 degree oven until I'm ready to assemble the tacos.  

6.  Transfer the pork to a cutting board and slice/pull into small pieces, discarding the fat.  Return to the sauce.

7.  Assemble the tacos:  For each taco, place a tortilla on a plate.  (You can double them up if your tortillas are thin.)  Top each tortilla with a piece of scallion.  Place several pieces of the pork down the center of each tortilla (on top of the scallion).  Spoon on some of the salsa.  Finish with a sprinkle of the crumbled (or grated) cheese.  Enjoy!

We loved everything about these!  The sauce was just what I wanted - lots of flavor, some spice, a hit of sweetness . . . :)

The salsa was pretty simple, but I think it was a perfect complement to the pork.  I almost added some shredded cabbage, but I'm glad I didn't.  I really liked the way that the pork and salsa were both able to shine.  The little crunch from the scallion and the sprinkle of mild cheese was just perfect.  Nothing else was needed!

My only issue with these was, once I got rid of the fat, there wasn't as much meat as I had hoped.  I guess that's what you get with pork shoulder.  Oh, well.  I threw a lot of fat away.  We could have served two more people, but that's about it.  I got enough pork for about eight (filling) tacos.  You could do this with pork loin and you'd get more meat, but it would also be leaner and potentially a little tougher.  I guess it's a trade-off, right?

They were delicious, though.  The recipe took some time from start to finish, but none of the steps were difficult.  It would be a fun project for a weekend afternoon.  There was lots of downtime!  

So . . . I had to try a little nip of bourbon on the side.  Ha ha.  I knew it would be the perfect accompaniment.

Yes, that's the bourbon I used in the recipe, much to my husband's dismay.  Ha ha.  Well . . . what can I say?  We didn't have any bad bourbon.  Now, I wouldn't be ridiculous and use Pappy's (if you're lucky enough to have some), but you can use whatever you've got on hand.  Standard well bourbon of some kind would probably be fine.  :)

I would highly recommend these.  Next year, I might even make them on Derby Day!  Now, there's an idea!

Feel free to comment on this recipe!  Did you try them?  What did you think?

Thanks for reading!