Entertain at home: Pulled pork tacos with green apple and avo salsa
One medium pork shoulder transformed into a deeply aromatic tray of saucy pulled pork is one of life’s great pleasures. These pulled pork tacos are a great way to entertain - serve smaller ones as canapés or starters, or larger ones as main meals. Enjoy with a chilled bottle of Spier MCC Brut.
Serves 6
You’ll need: For the pulled pork – 1kg boneless pork shoulder (or about 1,3 kg on the bone); 1 x 340ml lager beer; 15ml brown sugar; 10ml ground paprika (not smoked); 5ml ground cumin; 5ml dried origanum; 60ml apple cider vinegar; 60ml tomato sauce; 125ml good quality BBQ sauce; 30ml Dijon mustard; 30ml Worcestershire sauce; salt & pepper, to taste.
For the salsa – 1-2 Granny Smith green apples, finely diced; 1 small red onion, finely chopped; 1-2 large ripe avocados, skin & pit removed, diced; a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice; a handful fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped; salt & black pepper, to taste.
For serving – 6-12 medium size hard or soft tacos (corn or flour); good quality mayonnaise; fresh coriander leaves; lemon wedges.
How to:
Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Place the pork in a deep cast iron pot or roasting tray that will fit it relatively snugly (it will shrink a little).
In a large mixing jug, add the beer, sugar, paprika, cumin, origanum, vinegar, ketchup, BBQ sauce, mustard, Worcester sauce and a generous seasoning of salt & pepper. Mix well, then pour over the pork. Cover with a lid, then roast for 3 hours or until very tender. Remove from the oven, then use 2 forks to pull apart. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Set aside, covered, until ready to serve.
For the salsa:
Mix everything together in a medium bowl and serve at once, with the pulled pork & mayonnaise on tacos.
For serving:
Arrange some mayo, salsa and pulled pork on each taco, then sprinkle with fresh coriander and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve at once.
About the wine: Spier MCC Brut
A vibrant light straw colour. The wine’s fresh, clean nose offers apples and biscuits. A balanced mouthfeel, good acidity and exuberant bubbles culminate in a lively aftertaste.
* Recipe & image by Spier.
