MARGARITA PULLED PORK TACOS

There is barely a protein on earth that isn’t vastly improved by brown sugar and salt and time. I sometimes skip brining collar butt altogether as I believe it has enough fat marbled through it to ensure a lovely, glorious texture every single time. However, I acknowledge the firm ‘brine believers’ out there and so have balanced this with a dry brine sleepover in the fridge. You can let your motivation and time decide what suits you best. 

Dry brining involves rubbing the meat with a mixture of salt and spices and letting it rest in the refrigerator for a period of time, typically several hours to overnight. During this time, the salt draws out moisture from the meat. The released moisture then mixes with the salt and seeps back into the meat, enhancing its flavour and moisture retention. When cooked, dry-brined meats tend to be juicier and more flavorful. The salt also helps improve the texture by breaking down some of the proteins and will create a boldly flavoured crust on the outside. This is great in terms of flavour & texture. 

From Meat at Billy’s…
(1) We asked Katrina to create a recipe for us using one of our new favourite finds, these stellar margarita mixers from local Brisbane company, Margarita Margarita. (Really we just wanted another excuse to drink margaritas!!!!) Very happy to report that this recipe is ideal to enjoy alongside icy cold margaritas. Perfect even. Big bold fresh flavours with lots of spice, citrus & salt! Sounds cliché but this is just a match made in heaven. Ideal for Summer entertaining! 

Margarita Margarita mixers are available in several different flavours so please, choose your own adventure as any flavour will work in this recipe. We used the Jalapeno Margarita mix as we can’t get enough of the warm chilli kick it gives. 

(2) Don’t skip the step where you cover the meat with baking paper before placing on the lid. When we first gave Katrina’s recipe a test run, we didn’t do that step and wished that we did. Too much moisture is lost without it and the bottom of our dish was way too well done.  

Ingredients
2kg pork collar butt
6 tbsp sea salt flakes
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp each: ground coriander, paprika, ancho chilli powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, chipotle
*(Meat at Billy’s stocks Jackalope Adobo Rub which has a very similar flavour profile to this blend of spices. It can be used as a substitute if you’re looking for a fast alternative)
head of garlic, halved
1 cup margarita mix (plus ½ cup)
1 ½ cups chicken stock
¼ cup tequila 
many soft tacos
fresh lime juice to serve

Caramelised Pineapple Margarita Salsa 
1 small pineapple, peeled, chopped into cubes
3 tbsp margarita mix
2 avocados, peeled, hulled
1 jalapeno chilli, deseeded, finely diced
1 small bunch coriander, leaves chopped
1 eschallot, peeled, very finely diced
1 small bunch mint, leaves pulled and chopped 

Dressing
Juice and zest of 2 small limes
¼ cup margarita mix
Splash of tequila

Quick chipotle sour cream
1 x tub sour cream
Chipotle powder to taste

Method
Place the pork in a container or roasting dish. Rub generously with the sea salt flakes and brown sugar mix. Place uncovered in the fridge overnight.

The next day, remove from fridge half an hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 160C.

Strain off the liquid from the dry brine and wipe most of it off.

Grease a roasting pot big enough to take the pork, you may have to cut it to pieces to fit. Make the spice mix blend by adding all the spices to a bowl and rubbing all of this over the pork.

Add the garlic halves and pour in the 1 cup of margarita mix along with the stock. Cover with a piece of baking paper and & the lid and pop in the oven and cook for 4-5 hours. 

Remove the lid and baking paper and using two forks immediately start shredding the pork. While it is still hot add the additional ½ cup margarita mix, the tequila. Taste  & season with salt, pepper and lime juice as needed. Cover with the lid to keep warm while you make the pineapple salsa.

Place a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the pineapple pieces and the margarita mix and cook until the mix has been completely absorbed and the pineapple has caramelised on some sides. Some will be soft, some will be beautifully caramelised.

Allow to cool before adding to a bowl with the remaining ingredients.

To make the dressing add all the ingredients to a bowl and pour over the avocado and pineapple mixture, tossing very gently to coat.

Add sour cream and chipotle to a bowl and combine with a fork. Taste and adjust seasoning of chipotle to your taste. Dried ground chipotle can vary dramatically in taste between brands so add slowly and taste for heat before adding more.

Flash fry your corn tacos in a very hot pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Scoop in some pulled pork, some pineapple salsa and top with a drizzle of the chipotle sour cream. And a big fat squeeze of lime juice.

Serve with icy cold margaritas (of course 😉)…

Cheers!