Banh Mi Tacos With Pulled Pork

Serves: 4

Rowena Kautzer

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

54

Spice

50

Sweetness

49

Sourness

39

mins

Prep time (avg)

3.9

Difficulty

Ingredients:

2 tbsps

Kosher Salt

2 tbsps

Olive Oil

4 cloves

Garlic (smashed)

1 tbsp

Chili Powder

2 sprigs

Rosemary

2 sprigs

Thyme

2 cups

Chicken Broth

1 cup

Soy Sauce

2 tbsps

Brown Sugar

2 tbsps

Water (cold)

1 tbsp

Cornstarch

1 cup

Mayonnaise

Directions:

1

For the pickled carrot and red radish: Toss the sliced radishes and carrots with the salt and sugar in a medium bowl

2

Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes

3

Pour the rice vinegar over the mixture

4

Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours or up to one week

5

For the braised pulled pork: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F

6

Rub the pork with the salt and pepper

7

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or brazier pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes

8

Carefully place the pork into the hot pan, fat-side down

9

Cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes

10

Use tongs to carefully turn the pork, cooking on all sides until browned, 5 to 10 minutes more

11

Transfer the pork to a plate, leaving all its juices in the pan

12

Add the bacon, carrot, celery, onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, about 2 minutes

13

Add the chili powder, allspice, chiles de arbol, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme

14

Continue cooking over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes

15

Add the cider, and stir, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan

16

Add the chicken broth, and bring to a boil

17

Remove the pan from the heat

18

Place the pork in the pan, on top of the vegetables

19

Cover the pan, and place it in the oven

20

Cook until the pork is soft to the touch and shreds easily, 5 to 6 hours

21

Carefully remove the pork from the pan, and shred it with tongs in a large bowl or pot

22

Strain and discard the solids, saving the braising liquid

23

Pour the strained liquid over the shredded pork

24

For the umami sauce: Combine the vegetable broth, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, sesame seeds, peppercorns, garlic, green onions, bacon, cloves, carrot, cinnamon stick, ginger, jalapeno, yellow onion and star anise in a large pot

25

Simmer the mixture over low heat for 90 minutes to allow the flavors to develop

26

Strain and discard the solids, saving the liquid

27

In a small bowl, stir together the cold water and cornstarch to create a slurry

28

Stir the slurry into the hot liquid until it is thick

29

Set the sauce aside until the pork is ready

30

Pour the umami sauce over the pork and use tongs to toss

31

This can be done the day before serving¿¿just reheat the pork when you are ready to assemble the tacos

32

For the sriracha mayo: Stir together the mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl until combined

33

For the tacos: Preheat a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat

34

For each taco, hold 2 corn tortillas together, dip them in a bowl of room-temperature water and count to three

35

Place the tortillas, still together, on the hot griddle, and cook until hot and beginning to blister on each side, about 45 seconds

36

Stack the hot tortillas on a plate

37

Sprinkle each set of tortillas with cilantro, sliced jalapenos and pickled carrot and red radish

38

Top with some umami pork, and drizzle with sriracha mayo