Crispy Pork Belly Tacos with Pico de Gallo

By DreiFromBK

Ambrosia! Dark magic! Ecstasies of wonder! Fatty-in-the-best-way pork belly braised tender with chiles and seared golden, put in warm tortillas with pico de gallo.

Ingredients

• BRAISED PORK BELLY:
• One 2-pound piece of meaty pork belly
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup melted lard or shortening
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 white onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 morita chiles or dried chipotle chiles
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• PICO DE GALLO:
• 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
• 4 ounces tomatillos, husked, rinsed and finely chopped about 3/4 cup
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 chile de árbol, crumbled
• 1/4 cup Mexican beer, like Negro Modelo
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• Kosher salt
• TACOS:
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 12 (5-inch) fresh corn tortillas, warm
• Lime wedges for serving

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 240mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

BRAISED PORK BELLY:
Preheat the oven to 250°F. In a large ovenproof saucepan, combine all of the ingredients and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover, transfer to the oven and braise the pork until very tender, about 3 hours. Transfer the pork to a plate to cool slightly; discard the braising liquid.

PICO DE GALLO:
In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the salt. Season with salt and mix well.

TACOS:
In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the canola oil. Add the pork belly, skin side down, and weigh it down with another heavy skillet. Cook over moderately low heat until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pork, skin side up, to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Slice across the grain 1/4 inch thick, then halve the slices crosswise. Top each tortilla with a few pieces of pork belly and a little pico de gallo and serve warm.