Coffee Braised Pork Tacos with Strawberry Salsa & Avocado Crema
By: Ben - San Francisco, CA - 2016 Recipe Contest
"For this recipe, I wanted to use a lot of coffee and really let the boldness shine as the backbone of this taco. The rich, depth of flavor pairs perfectly with the savory pork, sweet strawberries, and creamy avocado sauce. It's a dish that sounds complex, but is actually extremely easy to make, and is one of my go to recipes for feeding a crowd."
This is a Door County Coffee Fan recipe. It was not made in the kitchens of the Door County Coffee Café.
Ingredients
Featured ingredient: Espresso Decaf Coffee
- ⅓ cup ground Espresso Decaf beans
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 3 ½-4 lb pork loin
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1½ cups shredded or chopped carrot
- 2/3 cup bbq sauce
- 4 cups strong brewed Espresso Decaf
- 2 pints strawberries, cored and chopped
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2/3 cup packed fresh torn cilantro leaves
- 2 ripe avocados
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- Warm tortillas
- Thinly sliced red cabbage (roughly ¼ head of cabbage)
- Fresh torn cilantro for garnish
- Serve with fresh lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°. In a large dutch oven or oven safe baking dish, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Cut the pork into 1” slices, rub with ground coffee, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and sear on all sides in batches until browned and charred, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the carrots and onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Pour in the coffee and BBQ sauce and bring to a simmer. Return pork to the pan, cover, and transfer to the oven.
- Let cook, until tender and falling apart, about 1 ½ - 4 hours. Lightly shred the meat when done.
- Shortly before serving the pork, prepare the salsa and avocado crema.
- For the salsa, combine the strawberries, red onion, two tablespoons lime juice, fresh torn cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium sized bowl and toss.
- For the crema, blend or hand mix the avocado, sour cream, three tablespoons lime juice, and blend to desired consistency, thinning out with water as needed.
- Serve with warm tortillas, thinly sliced red cabbage, fresh torn cilantro, and lime wedges.