Tacos De Cecina (pounded pork tacos)

By djwaldroop

Ingredients

• 2 2
• guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded (See Note)
• 2 2
• (1 lb) pork tenderloin
• 1 1
• tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 1
• teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 2 2
• tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus
• more extra virgin olive oil, for coating the pan
• 1 1
• teaspoon salt
• 1 ⁄2
• teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 16 16
• corn tortillas
• 1 1
• medium white onion, chopped
• 1 ⁄2
• cup chopped cilantro
• 2 2
• limes, cut in wedges,for serving

Preparation

Step 1

Directions

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, in a dry cast-iron skillet, toast the chilies over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant; turn them and shake the pan so they don't scorch.
Put the toasted chilies in a bowl, cover with the boiling water, and let them soak until softened and reconstituted, about 15 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, make a deep slit down the length of the tenderloins and open them up so they lay flat.
With the smooth side of a mallet, pound the pork between two pieces of plastic to a 1/4-inch thickness.
Transfer to a platter.
In a blender, combine the toasted chilies, vinegar, oregano, 2 tablespoons of oil, salt, and pepper, and puree to form a paste.
Rub the paste on both sides of the pork.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat grill or ridged grill pan.
Brush grill grates with a little oil to prevent meat from sticking.
Scrape off excess chili paste from pork and grill for 2 minutes per side.
Remove to cutting board and let rest for 2 minutes.
Slice into 1/4-inch pieces.
Heat a large dry skillet over a medium flame.
Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side, until toasty and pliable.
To make the tacos, stack 2 warm tortillas, lay about 4 ounces of pork down the center, and sprinkle with some onion and cilantro.
Drizzle 1 1/2 teaspoons of salsa on top of each taco and garnish with lime wedges.
Note: Guajillo chili is the dried form of the fresh mirasol chili.
Can be found at Latin markets.