Need advice on daughters B-Day cook

[Glenn W]

My daughters favorite meal is soft taco's and her favorite meat is pulled pork. I would like to make a rub that would be a great Mexican flavor and a finishing sauce as well. I'm not good with these profiles.

Thanks!

 

[Russ Sylvester]

Hmm.. Mexican. Never tried that before.

I wonder if the Mcormick packet of taco seasoning you can buy in any grocery store would be worth trying. Pieces are a little big so maybe running it through a spice grinder would get the consistency a bit better.

Just a thought

Russ

 

[Wolgast]

Never done that myself Glenn.

But i think Russ´s advice will work.

 

[Jon Des.]

Glenn,
Here is a cook I did a while back. I think the easy way to get the flavors into the pork is through finishing sauces and not the rub.

 

[K Kruger]

I'm with Jon, but I'd do both. There are flavors that develop when the rub cooks. I'd use a finishing sauce to even texture and moisture but the targeted flavors would come from the sauce in this case.

"Taco seasoning" is an American invention. It's (in varying proportions), chili powder, onion, garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano, something for a little heat (crushed red, cayenne). Build a rub from there, adding some sugar. Salt the meat first, apply the rub over the salt when it draws moisture.
Consider: 3 parts chili powder, 2 parts onion, 2 parts sugar, 1 part garlic, .5 part oregano, .5 part cumin, .25 part heat; blend then remove a little, say, 1/4 tsp, sprinkle a little salt on it and taste. Adjust from there.

Make enough to flavor the sauce(s) you make.

 

[Russell McNeely]

Glenn,

Here's a rub similar to what Kevin suggested that I think might work



Southwest Rub

Good for: red meat, pork, poultry, seafood, vegetables

2 teaspoons pure chile powder
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Makes about 1?4 cup

 

[Paul K]

In the States, Gringos are accustomed to the flavor of cumin (cumino) in tacos (beef). If your daughter likes the American version of taco seasoning, I would suggest emphasizing that spice. Sprinkling a rub that includes cumin after pullling will ensure that flavor is not lost during the cook. For a sauce with pork, I've gone with both tomato based and tomatillo (green) based sauces. Again, let your daughter's prefence be your guide.

Paul

 

[Randy B]

One of our favorite ways to eat pulled pork is to add a can or two of the Herdez salsas. The salsa verde seems to work great with pork when making soft tacos. It's pretty widely available around the US. Their casera salsa is for those who like tomatoes vs tomatillos. Neither is hot with peppers.

Randy

 

[Glenn W]

Thanks for all the great input/advice guys. I will post the cook with details this weekend.

 

[Andy from Denver]

just wanted to add that my kids favorite way to eat pulled pork is with tacos, and I agree that at least for us, the flavor comes from the salsa, not the initial rub.