Slow Cooker Asian Pork Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw

Woman's Day Version,. Photo by Hector Sanchez

My Version (real tacos don't stand on their own)

I've only read the name so far and I already have two problems. First, this meal plan was obviously made with "regular" people in mind. I have nothing against regular people, I just am not able to be one (how many nurses really are?) By regular people I mean those who work 9-5 Monday thru Friday and sleep in/clean the house/run errands on Saturdays. Don't get me wrong, I love slow cooker recipes on my days off, but when I leave the hosue at 6am and get home at 4pm it just doesn't work out. Luckily, my mom is coming to babysit today so I'm able to mix everything up at 5 am, throw the crock pot in the fridge, and have my mom start it at 10 am.

My other concern is the "Asian" concept--I love fake Americanized-Chinese cuisine, but very much dislike almost everything I've tried Japanese (except sushi). Mostly, I just hate Teriyaki sauce. Like, top five worst sauces ever (honey mustard, BBQ, sriracha, and miracle whip also place). If this sauce ends up more General Tso's than Teriyaki I should be happy with it.

Slow Cooker Asian Pork Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw

Woman's Day Magazine Online, Septeber 2014

Prep: 15 minutes                   Total: 8 hours 15 minutes                       Level: Moderate

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large navel orange
• 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp grated ginger (I used stir in paste from Gourmet Garden)
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 pork shoulder (2 1/2 lbs, cut into 2" pieces)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1/2 small head red cabbage
• 1 medium carrot
• 8 small flower tortillas

There's no sake in the recipe, which means it's not Teriyaki. Score! I'm still not sure about it though. Without trying it, I'd say more crushed red pepper, less brown sugar. And how is balsamic vinegar even a little bit Asian? And tortillas? This is like Asian-Italian-Mexican fusion. That sounds strangely fancy. 

Since my mom is in charge of the crock pot while I'm at work, I'm sharing with my parents. I'm sure my brother, Matthew, does not want to eat with me. He's just as picky as Lila, but he's 18. He can have cereal for supper.

Directions:

1. Using a veggie peeler, remove four strips of zest from the orange, reserving orange for later. In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper, and orange zest.
2. Add the pork and toss to coat. Cook, covered, until the pork is tender and shreds easily, 7-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
3. Thirty minutes before serving, make the slaw. Squeeze the juice from the orange into a large bowl (you should have about 1/2 cup). Whisk in the oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Core and thinly slice the cabbage. Cut the carrot into matchsticks. Add the veggies to the vinaigrette and toss to combine.
4. Warm the tortillas according to package directions. Using two forks, shred the pork into large pieces; gently toss in the cooking liquid. Fill the tortillas with the pork mixture and top with the slaw.

Tonight was the beginning of week two and the first night that nothing went wrong. No ingredient problems, no presentation issues. It even ended up tasting OK. My brother, Matt, was originally disgusted by the very idea of "Asian pork," but he's a born negotiator. He wanted me to play the Buffy the Vampire Slayer board game with him (yes, there is a Buffy game). 

See, when he was younger I got him obsessed with Buffy (Sarah Michelle not Kristy) and this game in particular. He just bought a brand-new in box copy and wanted to relive his childhood years of my kicking his ass as the forces of evil. He said, "if you play Buffy with me after supper, I'll try it." I agreed and he ended up eating two whole tacos (no cabbage slaw for him though, I think he's afraid of vegetables). I ended up vanquishing Buffy and her scooby gang for about the 77th time in a row.

My parents both enjoyed supper (my mom likes anything she doesn't have to cook) and even Lila tried a couple of bites of meat.

Tips: I used ginger paste, which you can find in the refrigerated portion of the produce section, instead of fresh ginger because it's a lot easier and it keeps for months in the fridge (they also make garlic, basil, and other spices but I've never tried them). I always have baby carrots in my fridge (Lila loves to snack on carrots, cheese, and applesauce) so I used those. It's really hard to cut baby carrots into matchstick pieces. If you are looking for tips for the other half of the cabbage, the Woman's Day recipe has some ideas, click on the link at the top of the page).

Verdict? Taste of Day Success!