Destination
Puerto Vallarta
The story
Tacos de pierna are the Mexico City taquería answer to slow-cooked pork: a whole leg (pierna) of pork simmered for 3 hours in stock with garlic, bay leaves, orange and beer until the meat pulls apart with a spoon. It's kept warm in its cooking liquid on the back of the plancha, and pulled to order — a fistful of shreddy pork onto two warm tortillas with a splash of raw white onion, chopped coriander and a heavy spoon of salsa verde. Related to but distinct from cochinita pibil (which is achiote-red and slow-roasted in banana leaves) and carnitas (which is confit-fried in lard), tacos de pierna keep the pork paler, softer, and lighter — the flavour comes from the aromatic braising liquid, not from a marinade or a fat bath.
Method
In a large heavy pot, brown the pork chunks over high heat in a splash of oil until deeply coloured on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Work in batches.
Return all the pork to the pot. Add the garlic, onion, bay, peppercorns, oregano, allspice, orange peel, beer, salt and water. The liquid should just cover the pork; add more water if needed.
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover partially, and cook over the lowest heat 3 hours until the pork is falling apart. Do not boil hard — a bare 90-degree simmer keeps the meat tender.
Char the tomatillos, onion, chillies and garlic on a hot dry pan 6 minutes total. Blend with coriander, salt and lime to a coarse-smooth sauce. Adjust salt.
Lift the pork out of the pot with a slotted spoon onto a large chopping board. Discard bones. Shred coarsely with two forks.
Strain the braising liquid into a wide pan. Discard the solids. Simmer hard 15 to 20 minutes until reduced by two-thirds to a light sauce. Return the shredded pork to the reduced sauce, toss and keep warm.
On a hot dry pan, warm pairs of tortillas 20 seconds a side. Stack in a towel to keep warm.
Lay two overlapped tortillas on each plate. Pile with a fistful of the shredded pork. Add a pinch of diced onion, a pinch of coriander, a slice of radish and a spoon of salsa verde. Serve with lime and jalapeños on the side.
Tips
- Simmer, don't boil. A hard boil breaks the pork into dry threads. A lazy simmer keeps the shreds soft and juicy.
- The orange peel is not a garnish. Strips of orange peel in the braise add a specific citrus note that runs through Mexican pork cooking. Don't skip.
- Reduce the braising liquid. Un-reduced, it's flavourful stock but too thin to coat the meat. Reducing by two-thirds gives you the glossy jus that makes the taco stall version.
- Reserve some sauce for the tacos. When you toss the shredded pork with the reduced liquid, leave a little in the pan to spoon over each taco at plating.
- The pork holds for days. Cover with the reduced sauce and refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat gently. Also freezes well.
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