Roasted Pork Belly Taquitos with a Roasted Tomatillo and Poblano Salsa
Serves 4
Pair With...
Taquitos are thin small corn tortillas rolled around a filling and then fried in oil until crispy.I made these taquitos with sliced pork belly with a roasted poblano and tomatillo salsa. Get it on the table faster by shredding a rotisserie chicken and toss with some seasonings and cheese to use as the filling.
To render the fat properly on the pork belly and get a nice crisp skin, you need to score the skin in multiple places. Cut through the skin down to the fat cap. Then when you put the rub on the meat, make sure to get it down into the slice openings for more flavor.
As a garnish, I used four things. Sour cream thinned out with some cream, avocado, queso fresco and braised red cabbage. The queso cheese could be swapped out with ricotta salata or feta. I cooked the cabbage in some bacon fat I had in the fridge that added more smoky flavors and bacon-y goodness to compliment the pork belly. Enjoy! – Chris
Ingredients & Prep (Scroll or click the links Below)
Pork Belly
Ingredients
1 lb pork belly, scored skin
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ salt
1 t black pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450-degrees
Rub the meat with the seasonings
Place the meat on a sheet tray, elevated on a rack if possible
Cook the meat for 30 minutes
Turn down the oven to 300-degrees
Cook another hour
Remove and set aside
Slice and if desired, crisp it further in a pan
Poblano and Tomatillo Salsa
Ingredients
2 lbs tomatillos, paper removed and quartered
3 shallots or one yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 poblano pepper
1 t cumin
Salt
Olive oil
Hot water (if necessary)
Preparation
Place vegetables on sheet tray. Toss with salt and olive oil.
If roasting the poblano in the oven, remove stem and seeds and cut into quarters.
Otherwise leave whole and roast over the stove flame until black. Allow it to cool, remove skin, seeds and stem.
Cook with pork belly at 450 for 30 minutes.
Transfer to a blender or food processor with the cumin and puree.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Add water if needed to make a thinner texture.
Poblano and Tomatillo Salsa
Ingredients
1 lb pork belly, scored skin
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ salt
1 t black pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450-degrees
Rub the meat with the seasonings
Place the meat on a sheet tray, elevated on a rack if possible
Cook the meat for 30 minutes
Turn down the oven to 300-degrees
Cook another hour
Remove and set aside
Slice and if desired, crisp it further in a pan
Corn Tortillas
Ingredients
1 lb pork belly, scored skin
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ salt
1 t black pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450-degrees
Rub the meat with the seasonings
Place the meat on a sheet tray, elevated on a rack if possible
Cook the meat for 30 minutes
Turn down the oven to 300-degrees
Cook another hour
Remove and set aside
Slice and if desired, crisp it further in a pan
Assembly
Warm the tortillas in the oven for a few minutes to make them pliable. Or heat them in the microwave. Place a few slices of pork belly in the center of the tortilla and roll. Pre-heat the oil in a pan on medium-low heat. Fry the tortilla seam-side down in the hot oil until brown. Flip and repeat. Drain on paper towels. Serve with salsa and garnishes.
Chris Chisholm is a Certified Specialist of Wine and a graduate of Boston University Wine Studies and Wine Making programs. He is also a graduate of Cook Street School of Culinary Arts in Denver, CO. He has worked as a personal chef and chef instructor.
If you have any questions, email Chris at chris@snugharborwine.com. You can also follow Chris on Instagram @winechefchris for more delicious food photos!