Beer Braised Pork Tacos

Every year for the Super Bowl, my mom invites family over for a big feast of what my dad calls “game fare.” She and I make chicken wings, meatballs, sliders, chips and dips, all the things that go so well with a football game. This year I decided to make pork tacos, thinking it would be fun for everyone to assemble their own and socialize a little bit before becoming glued to the TV. It worked! I made a big pot of beer (because what goes better with football than beer?) braised pork and dished out some classic taco fixin’s like avocado, pepper jack cheese, sour cream, red onion and guacamole. We all had so much fun gathered around the kitchen table fixin’ our tacos and making our game predictions.

Plus, the pork was so easy to make. Once I put it in the oven I forgot about it until just before game time. When it was finished cooking, I just chopped the meat, reduced the sauce and voila! The meat is a little spicy, a little sweet and completely slathered in a delicious tomato and beer-based sauce.

I hope you’ll bring this delicious and easy dish to your next event and watch as the crowd gathers around your table too!

Ingredients
1, 3 – 4 pound boneless pork butt
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
5 cloves of garlic
1, 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes

Taco assembly:
Corn or flour tortillas
Shredded cheese (I used pepper jack)
Thinly sliced red onion
Diced avocado
Chopped tomato
Cilantro
Sour cream

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325° F.Place a large, oven safe pot over a high flame on the stove. Coat the bottom of the pot with a few turns of olive oil.

While the oil is heating, pat the pork shoulder dry.

Whisk together the brown sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder, onion powder and pepper.

Rub the pork shoulder with the spice mix.

Transfer the pork shoulder to the hot pot.

Sear on all sides, turning the meat after it has cooked about 4 minutes per side. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.

To make the braising liquid, wipe out the pot and return it to medium heat. Add a few more turns of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring the entire time so it doesn’t burn.

When the garlic is fragrant, add the diced tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to bubble.

Make a well in the center of the tomatoes and place the pork shoulder in the center.

Cover the meat with the beer and then top the pot with a lid. Transfer the pot to the preheated oven and cook 2 – 3 hours, turning the meat every so often.

Once the meat has reached an internal temperature of 145° F, it is finished cooking. Remove the meat from the pan to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes.

While the meat is resting, reduce the sauce. Bring the tomato-beer sauce to a boil and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until reduced by half. Taste the sauce and adjust as desired. If the tomatoes are a little acidic, you can add a teaspoon of sugar. Taste for salt and pepper.

Cut the meat into ½ inch cubes and return to the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes to bring the meat back to temperature. Once the meat is reheated it is ready to serve.