Caroline, Chicago, IL
Finding myself a little tired of chicken and steering a bit clear of beef lately, I am trying to find more room in my kitchen for “the other white meat.” We didn’t eat pork growing up because my dad was allergic to it. Rarely, if ever, did I come across pork tenderloin and when I was exposed to pork chops at friend’s houses or in restaurants, I remember them as dry and chewy. So, I never really included pork in my cooking repertoire.
To be clear, when I speak of not having a past with pork, I do not mean bacon. For some reason, bacon did not seem to be included in my dad’s allergy problem so it accompanied a weekly, weekend pancake breakfast. And come to think of it, I enjoyed many a ham and cheese sandwich.
Pig meat is tricky. I suppose I barely consider bacon, ham and sausage pork products because you don’t CALL them pork. Before getting too deep into a pig/pork vocabulary discussion, I will just say that I am now excited to be exploring new ways to eat pork tenderloin and pork chops. These tacos I made were easy, delicious and a definite do-over.
Pork Tacos with Guacamole and Salsa Verde
1 small pork tenderloin
2 t chili powder
1 t dried oregano
1 t ground cumin
salt and pepper
Toppings:
8 corn tortillas
black beans (drained and tossed with cumin, salt and lime juice)
guacamole (find the recipe here)
salsa verde (I bought mine from the Mexican section of the grocery store.)
sour cream
cilantro
Cut the pork into 2 x 1/8 inch strips. Combine the chili, cumin, oregano and toss the pork in the spice mixture. Salt and pepper the pork. Heat oil in a skillet and saute the pork strips.
Heat another skillet and put the tortillas in, heating each side for about a minute. Spreak gaucamole on the tortilla, add some pork and top with your favorite toppings.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
I normally get grossed out with anything that isn’t chicken or fish, and pork is one of those meats that I stopped eating (along with beef) after I read a few too-revealing books. But for some reason, I have to have my ham every now and then, along with bacon. I don’t really think it counts if you saute some bacon with butter and use that as a base for almost all your dishes. especially if your bacons bits amount to less than a couple of tablespoons… haha at least thats what I tell myself
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I was a vegetarian for many years, when I started eating meat beef and pig were still not on the list. But for whatever reason… lately I’ve developed a healthy relationship with the pig. I also happen to believe that tacos are the food of the gods so this dish… yeah… I’m on it.
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Over the past year, my love of pork has grown exponentially… but that’s owing to the fact that I found a local farm that sells heirloom pork nearby. If you can get your hands on some of that, you’ll be amazed. It’s nothing close to the dry stuff that we have in most supermarkets and ooooooh so good. Heirloom pork is more expensive than the regular variety, but I figure you’re paying for much better taste and for the animals to be raised and butchered humanely, so it’s worth it.
June 4th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I have a love/hate relationship with pork. I find it’s either moist and delectable, or tough and actually tastes like a pig smells. My father always said when you tasted funky, pig-smelling pork, it was because the meat came from an old boar. Whether that’s true or not I have no idea, but I’m so mortified of getting a hold of pork that tastes like “old boar meat”…that I rarely cook it.
That said, these pork tacos sound & look delicious, which may be just enough for me to give pork another chance.
June 5th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
This recipe was great! The pork remained very tender and I like how the spices colored it golden. And what can go wrong which cannot be fixed with homemade guacamole? Thanks!
Might also be tasty to substitute tilapia, halibut, or shrimp for the pork.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:46 am
I Love reading all your pork and pig comments - so it is not just me that has the weird pig relationship