Jerked Sriracha Pork Tacos

I hit the wall last week. Almost 80 hours in the office. I had nearly 40 by the end of Wednesday. This isn’t a plea for sympathy so much as it’s a statement of the sheer insanity that tax season can be. Hug your local CPA.

I came home early Friday in anticipation for a full Saturday and only wanted to make dinner. Braising meat? Done. Comfort food coming right up. It involves chicken, dark beer, and root vegetables. The recipe is coming soon and it’s a good one.

Roasted meat ranks up there really high on the comfort food scale. Roasted. Like in the oven. Not the slow cooker. The slow cooker does nice things with meat, especially for those of us working in an office setting and want something hearty when they get home without having to wait, but it never tastes the same. No matter how much searing I do beforehand, it’s never the same. I have a secret in the kitchen though. It’s something at my disposal that allows me to bypass the slow cooker. I can prep something the night before or in the morning, leave it in the fridge, and then have Andrew start it for me in the afternoon so it’s ready by the time we want to eat. It’s kind of a win-win. The meat marinates a lot longer and then it gets a trip in the oven instead of the slow cooker. I know not everyone has someone working at home all day, but if you do, take advantage.

This recipe had been calling to me for a long, long time. Jerked anything is a weakness. The jerk chicken skewers at New Seasons are excellent. The Jamaican jerk sauce at Fire on the Mountain is my go-to when I want wings. I hadn’t ever made my own jerk seasoning until now. Lady and Pups always makes food that kills it in the flavor department. Her recipes have never let me down, and I want to make every single one. Since she roasted the pork, I wanted to roast the pork. I didn’t want to dumb it down with the slow cooker. Cue prepping this for Andrew to start in the afternoon. I blended up the Sriracha jerk sauce the night before in the Vitamix which, as I side note, I need to get serviced. All these years of blending finally wore out the gasket or something because it smells funny and leaves grease everywhere. I never thought I’d see the day that I wore out the Vitamin, but there it is.

Andrew popped the pork into the oven after lunch sometime, and the house smelled amazing when I got home. I was kinda lazy at that point and didn’t go much further with that recipe than the pork. I had left over small sweet peppers that I diced up since they’re kind of sweet like the kiwi, and I had a jar of salsa verde on hand. It was just fine. That pork is the star of the show. That meat was so tender and rich. The pork roast I picked up had a lot of fat in it, which is exactly what I want. I’m not afraid of fat, no sir. Homemade roasted tacos on a weeknight? Sold.

Inspiration: Lady and Pups

Ingredients

• 1.75-2lb pork roast
• 1/4 cup Sriracha sauce
• 5 cloves of garlic, diced
• 3 tablespoons of ginger, diced
• 3 scallions, white parts only, sliced
• 1/2 small white onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• tortillas, salsas, cilantro, sour cream, avocado to serve

Preparation

Blend all of the ingredients from Sriracha to the salt together in a blender. The smaller the dice the better on the ingredients to make it easier for the blender. Taste for any additional heat and salt. I added some more Sriracha. Spicy please! Pat the pork dry and place it in an oven proof pan. Pour the sauce over the top making sure it’s covering every inch of it. Cover it in foil. You can start roasting it immediately or place it in the fridge until you’re read.

To roast, preheat the oven to 350°. Cut a slit in the foil so there is a place for steam to release. Roast the pork for about four hours. It should be falling apart by that point. Shred it or chop it and mix it thoroughly in the sauce. Serve as tacos, but I bet that would be awesome in a quesadilla now that I think about it. A burrito would be pretty intense. The meat is really rich. Tacos are the perfect vehicle.