"Plastered" Pork Tacos with Apple-Jalapeño Salsa
Description
Chef John's salted "plaster" coating traps all the moisture and flavor of the pork while it bakes and complements the apple-jalapeño salsa in tacos.
Ingredients
•
1 (3 1/2) pound bone-in pork shoulder roast
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2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
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1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
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2 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed
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3/4 cup water, or more as needed
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1/2 cup kosher salt
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1 large egg white
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2 cups finely diced Honeycrisp apple
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2/3 cup finely diced white onion
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1/2 cup seeded and finely diced jalapeno pepper
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1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
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2 limes, juiced, or to taste
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1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
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2 pinches cayenne pepper
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12 flour tortillas, warmed
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2 limes, cut into wedges, or as needed
Directions
1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) with oven rack in center position.
2
Season all sides of pork with rosemary and black pepper.
3
Stir flour, water, ½ cup salt, and egg white together in a large bowl until very smooth. Add flour if "plaster" is too runny. Add pork shoulder; coat thoroughly.
4
Spread a few spoonfuls of excess "plaster" into a baking pan or dish. Add pork shoulder, fat-side up. Re-apply "plaster" with a spoon to any spots not covered and to the top.
5
Roast in the center of the preheated oven until surface is dry and hard and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 185 degrees F (85 degrees C), about 3 ½ hours.
6
Cool 15 to 60 minutes. Remove and discard "plaster." Break pork into big chunks; transfer to a plate. Add some accumulated pan juices from bottom of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator, 8 hours to overnight.
7
Combine apple, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, juice of 2 limes, 1 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper in a bowl; set salsa aside.
8
Slice chilled pork into strips, then cut into ½-inch cubes.
9
Heat a dry, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve pork on warm tortillas with salsa and lime wedges.