When I decided to make Korean/Tex-mex food the first thing I thought of were tacos. They are so easy to load up with any ingredient you like. I settled on pork shoulder for the meat filling along with two different salsas: a red salsa flavored with fresh ginger and sesame seeds and a refreshing cilantro and lime salsa. Then I decided on kimchi, a Korean fermented cabbage and crumbled queso fresco to complete it. The result was a delicious taco loaded with great toppings. The pork was cooked on low heat for about 2 hours which resulted in meat that fell off the bone. The pork was spicy and sweet which went along great with the red salsa and kimchi. The cilantro and lime salsa provided a nice crunch and the lime juice went along nicely with the other fillings. All the flavors worked so well together and I look forward to making this again!
Korean Pulled Pork Tacos with Kimchi and Queso Fresco
Ingredients
- 5 lb pork shoulder bone-in
- 3 tbsp xiao hsing wine
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup gochujang
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 tbsp ginger minced
- 2 tsp gochugaru korean crushed red pepper
- 2 tsp cinnamon ground
- 1 tsp cloves ground
- 1 tsp anise ground
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 batch sesame and ginger salsa
- 1 batch cilantro and lime salsa
- 1 batch kimchi
- soft corn tacos
- queso fresco crumbled
- sliced limes for garnish
Instructions
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Rub the pork with the sesame oil, salt and pepper.
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Mix the gochujang, xiao hsing wine, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, cinnamon, cloves, anise, and gochugaru in a bowl. Pour the mixture all over the pork.
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Add the garlic and ginger evenly over the pork.
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Cover and cook in a preheated 300F oven for 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reads 160F.
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Let sit 5-10 minutes before slicing. Pull apart into bite-sized pieces.
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Warm the taco shells and dress with the pork, kimchi, red salsa, cilantro and lime salsa, and queso fresco.
I love pulled pork (and tacos)! Your recipe has all sorts of flavors I have not used in a taco before. Excited to try your recipe!
Julia,
Me too! I was worried about all the flavors working together before I started. I wasn’t sure about using queso fresco but after trying it, it turns out it works out quite well with korean flavors. who knew!
This looks like a great recipe! I just tried bulgogi taco the other day and loved it! I’m definitely going to make this soon! Thank you!
About a year ago a friend (who’s palate and culinary skills I admire) was telling me about how he thought the time was ripe for a fusion of Korean and Mexican/South Western cuisine. This is precisely what he had in mind.