Thursday is Cinco De Mayo. Yeah!
I love the food associated with this fun holiday and this deliciousness would be an amazing addition to your party or for dinner. It uses great mexican ingredients (chipotle peppers, cilantro).
I know most people are familiar with chipotle peppers but hey I live in rural Idaho and we don't exactly have a large selection of grocery items here nor do most of my friends cook with these little ladies. So if you are wondering where they are at--they are in the mexican food aisle in the grocery store, little can labeled "chipotle peppers in adobo sauce."
I have had several recipes that I have really been wanting to try so when I finally remembered to buy some chipotle peppers I knew what I would make. For Easter we had Ham with chipotle glaze and then I had some chipotle peppers left over so I made this delicious pulled pork.
As a side note: if you have left over chipotle peppers, pulsed the peppers in your food processor and then freeze them in ice cube trays to use later. You can also do this with the sauce that they sit in. It works awesome later.
You pair this delicious sandwich with this amazing cilantro pesto and it is a perfect combination!
The chipotle peppers have a smoky flavor with a hint of spiciness. My kids even enjoyed this pulled pork, not to mention you can throw it in the crockpot and let it cook all day. Perfect for a party!
If you need other amazing Cinco de May foods we love this Spanish Rice and this Rotel Dip.
Chipotle Pulled Pork with Cilantro Pesto
(click here for printable version)
1 whole large onion
1 whole Pork Shoulder/Butt, 5-7 lbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can (11 oz.) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce (on the Mexican Food Aisle)
24 oz. of Dr. Pepper
2 T. brown sugar
1. Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large crockpot. Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions. Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork, including the sauce. Pour all of the Dr Pepper over the peppers and roast. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.
2. Cook for at least six hours, on low, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours, it should be completely falling apart, use two forks to test. If it’s not falling apart, cook for another hour.
3. Remove meat from crockpot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat. Put meat in bowl and pour another ½ cup of cooking liquid over the pork. Let sit until ready to serve.
Cilantro Pesto
1 ½ c. cilantro, washed and chopped
½ Jalapeno, chopped (and seeds removed if you want to tame down the spiciness)
¼ c. almonds
¼ c. olive oil
1. Place it all in your food processor and blend until smooth. Serve immediately on pork sandwiches.
Source: Pioneer Woman & Indigo's Sugar Spectrum
