Shrubs offer complex flavor in pulled pork tacos
By Catherine Neville
Shrubs have seen a resurgence behind the bar, and they're great in the kitchen too. Arizona-based Shrubwell makes fruit- and botanical-forward shrubs that offer complex aroma and flavor to drinks and dishes alike.
When I got my hands on one of their mixer packs, I tasted through each version and was struck by the balance of fruit, botanicals, sweetness and tang. These flavors deserved to shine in the kitchen, so I decided to use their Pineapple-Tamarind-Ancho mixer to marinate a pork butt for pulled pork tacos paired with a spicy ancho salsa. And what’s a taco without a Margarita? Shrubwell’s Cucumber-Ginger-Rose was an ideal match with fresh jalapeño and lime.
Shrubwell has a variety of flavors available on the Marketplace, and I can attest that each one offers deeply complex flavors that deserve a place in your kitchen and on your home bar.
Normally, I wouldn’t tackle three things in one video … and the resulting video is a bit long, but I hope you enjoy these recipes — pulled pork is incredibly easy to make and the shrub not only acts as a flavorful marinade, the vinegar helps to tenderize the tough cut of meat. When making the salsa, I decided to focus on dried chiles as my base because of their complexity and slight bitterness, which is balanced by the sweetness of the broiled tomato and onion as well as the shrub.
Of course, the Margarita is a no brainer. It’s easy, super delicious and a perfect way to show off Shrubwell’s out-of-this-world mixers. Cheers!
Until next time,
Cat
Pulled Pork Tacos With Ancho Chile Salsa
3 to 4 lbs pork shoulder or pork butt
1/3 cup plus ¼ cup Shrubwell Pineapple-Tamarind-Ancho Shrub, divided
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup hot paprika (if you don’t have hot paprika, you can use chile powder or paprika plus cayenne)
3 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp cumin
3 tsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp granulated garlic
2 medium tomatoes
1 white onion, quartered
5 to 7 ancho chiles
1 to 3 (or more) arbol chiles
1 garlic clove
Salt to taste
Corn tortillas
Chopped cilantro, to serve
Chopped white onion, to serve
| Preparation – Pulled Pork | Place pork shoulder or butt into a large zip-close bag and add 1/3 cup shrub. Squeeze all of the air out of the bag and marinate the pork for at least 3 to 4 hours in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Set out pork shoulder for about an hour so it comes up to room temp. Line a 9-by-12-inch baking dish with aluminum foil.
Make the rub by mixing sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, mustard and garlic. Using your hands, press rub firmly into the pork and place fat-side up in the baking dish. Add a bit of water to the dish to help the pork steam. Cook for 3½ to 4 hours until meat is nicely browned and falls easily from bone when pulled. Remove from oven and cool for up to an hour, until easy to handle. Pull pork, adding liquid from the roasting pan as needed, and keep warm.
| Preparation – Ancho Chile Salsa | Meanwhile, make the salsa by broiling the tomatoes and onion until charred. Toast the dried chiles in a skillet on medium heat until pliable and fragrant, being careful not to scorch them as they will get bitter. Soak the peppers in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. Reserving the water, take peppers out and then remove the stems. Place tomatoes, onion, peppers, garlic clove and salt into a food processor and pulse until smooth, adding reserved water as needed to make the salsa the texture you prefer.
Pour salsa into skillet and bring to a sizzle on medium heat. Taste and add salt as needed, then stir in ¼ shrub.
| To Serve | Wrap corn tortillas in foil and heat in the oven. Build tacos with two tortillas, pulled pork, cilantro, white onion and salsa.
Cucumber-Jalapeno Margaritas
¼ to ½ fresh jalapeño
Juice of ½ lime
1 oz Shrubwell Cucumber-Ginger-Rose Shrub
2 oz blanco tequila
Slice of jalapeno to serve
| Preparation | In a cocktail mixer, muddle jalapeño and then add lime juice, shrub and tequila. Dry shake and strain into rocks glass that has been rimmed with salt. Garnish with slice of fresh jalapeño.