Tacos de Lechón Falso al Sartén con Chicharrón
Antojitos de la Noche (Bringing the Street Market Home)
It’s midnight on Calle de los Libres in Oaxaca, and the crowd at El Lechoncito de Oro is shoulder-to-shoulder for one thing: melt-in-your-mouth suckling pig tacos crowned with shattering chicharrón. Back in an Ohio suburb on a Tuesday, nobody is burying a whole pig in an adobe oven or managing a cauldron of boiling lard. This brilliant sleight of hand uses the pressure cooker to break down tough pork shoulder and skin-on belly in under an hour, before a blistering sear in a cast-iron skillet creates a glorious, crunchy chicharrón. It is the unadulterated, intoxicating flavor of the night market, engineered for real life.
Ingredients
- pork shoulder1 1/2 lb
- skin-on pork belly1 lb
- orange juice1 cup
- lime juice1/4 cup
- white vinegar2 tbsp
- garlic6 med cloves
- white onion1 med
- Mexican oregano1 tbsp
- cumin seeds1 tsp
- black peppercorns1/2 tsp
- whole cloves3 whole
- bay leaves2 med
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- water1/2 cup
- fresh tomatillos1 lb
- serrano chiles3 med
- white onion1/4 med
- garlic2 med cloves
- fresh cilantro1 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- corn tortillas12 med
- white onion1 med
- fresh cilantro1 cup
- limes2 med
Method
- 01
Pressure cook the pork.
In a pressure cooker, combine the pork shoulder, pork belly, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, smashed garlic, quartered onion, oregano, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of salt, and water. Seal and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes, then allow a 10-minute natural release before manually venting the rest of the steam.
- 02
Boil the tomatillos with care.
While the pork cooks, place the tomatillos and serranos in a medium saucepan covered with water and bring to a gentle boil. Remove them exactly when they turn a dull olive green, about 8 minutes—if they burst, they release bitter acids that will ruin the salsa.
- 03
Blend the salsa verde.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the boiled tomatillos and chiles to a blender. Add the 1/4 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of whole cilantro, 1 teaspoon of salt, and two tablespoons of the hot cooking water, blending until perfectly smooth.
- 04
Dry the pork belly.
Retrieve the cooked pork belly and shoulder from the pressure cooker. Using paper towels, pat the skin of the pork belly completely dry, because surface moisture is the absolute enemy of crispy chicharrón.
- 05
Sear the chicharrón.
Heat a large, dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place the pork belly skin-side down, press gently with a spatula, and fry for 5 minutes until the skin blisters into a hard, golden crust.
- 06
Crisp the shoulder.
Move the belly to a cutting board and toss the pork shoulder chunks into the rendered fat in the hot skillet, searing for 3 minutes until the edges crisp up.
- 07
Chop and assemble.
Roughly shred the shoulder and chop the belly into small cubes, listening for the loud crunch of the skin. Mix the meats, pile onto warm corn tortillas, and drench in the salsa verde with fresh diced onion, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
Notes
Dip the tortillas in the rendered fat.
To elevate the tacos to street-cart authenticity, dip the edges of your corn tortillas into the residual pork fat in the skillet before warming them. The fat adds immense flavor and reinforces the tortilla against the weight of the meat and salsa.
From Cook Oaxacan in America.