Tag: tacos

Crispy Carnitas Tacos

On By Rob GIn Close to Home, RecipeLeave a comment

This past weekend, I made some slow cooked pork as well as some salsa verde. I did this with the intention of using them today. Today happens to be Cinco de Mayo, but it is also Tuesday, so I am counting that as a Taco Tuesday as well.

I started by taking some of those slow cooked chunks of pork and placing them on a pan that’s covered with aluminum foil. It’s important to note that this pan has four sides. The meat is juicy and I did not want to have to deal with any more mess than was necessary. I put this under a broiler for about five minutes. I made sure that it was not too close to the broiler, since I did not want any of the grease to catch fire.

Next, I spooned some of the saved drippings over the top of the meat. Since this is adding even more grease, it’s really important to keep a close eye on things. This was back under the broiler for another 3 minutes.

Once the meat was done, it was time to start assembling the tacos. I used some flour street tacos, and heated them a little bit first. A small portion of meat, some cilantro and chopped onion. I could have stopped there, but I didn’t.

I sprinkled on a little cheese, drizzled some of the salsa verde over it and topped it off with a lime wedge. I wanted the visual appeal and familiar feel, which is why I placed this on aluminum foil.

The carnitas were really good. I wanted to have the nice crispy exterior with the tender and juicy interior, and I succeeded. The salsa verde complemented the pork nicely, and the squeeze of lime juice was the perfect topper. I can’t say that this is better than what I used to be able to get in some hole in the wall restaurants when I lived in Southern California, but it was still really good.

This was a great way to shift into the middle of the week. With food that tasted this good, it was easy to stay positive!

Food Truck Tuesday – 10.01.19

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

The West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department’s Food Truck Tuesdays will be winding down, so I decided to head back there again yesterday. Since the temperature was going to be in the mid to upper 80s, I figured that I would also be getting a milkshake (I’ll write about that soon). Knowing that I would be eating a lot of food for dinner, I decided to have a health bar for lunch.

I arrived at the event shortly after it opened (4PM), so there was plenty of parking and not too many people around. There was a good selection of Food Trucks, but I decided to try two of them (it was originally going to just be one).

I ordered from the Taco Bar Food Truck first. Since the Mexican Street Tacos allowed for multiple selections, I got an order of three tacos – one with Char Grilled Chicken, one with Carnitas, and one with Carne Asada. The tacos came with fresh lime, green sauce, and red sauce.

I started with the Carne Asada. This can be tricky for me. Sometimes, the steak can be too chewy or too crispy. Sometimes it can have a very dull flavor. The steak in this taco was good. It was easy to bite through while maintaining the properties of a well cooked steak. The soft taco had nice flavor and held together well. It didn’t split or break, which can be one of the downfalls of tacos. The onion and cilantro mix added a nice blend for a traditional taco taste.

I went to the Char Grilled Chicken next. This was much better than I was expecting. The chicken had really good flavor to it, and the texture was fantastic. It was shredded chicken and was very juicy. Much better than the grilled, sliced chicken breast that has a tendency to dry out. This ended up being my favorite of the three tacos.

The last taco I tried was the Carnitas. I am a fan of pork, and this did not disappoint. There was a nice little kick to it. Not so spicy that it hurt your mouth but enough to let you know that there was something there.

The sauces both had nice flavor. The red sauce was spicier, but not enough to hurt. The green had a milder flavor, but there was a good combination of flavors in the sauce. Both of the sauces worked well individually and collectively on the tacos, which made for an overall positive eating experience.

The second truck I went to was the Cup O’ Dough Food Truck. This truck has edible cookie dough in multiple flavors. The Fluffernutter flavor caught my eye, and I decided to try it. The flavor was very good. The peanut butter cookie dough had the right texture and consistency to it, and the marshmallow swirl added a nice layer of sweetness and smooth consistency that provided a balance. I got a small size, which ended up being more than I should have eaten in one sitting. It was good, though, and I was happy to have tried it.

I’m not sure if I’ll be heading back for any more Food Truck Tuesdays this year. If I don’t, I’ll definitely be on the lookout for them next year. It’s nice to have these types of events, since there are options out there to try and experience new foods, or try familiar foods from new sources. With the heat bearing down, having options like this help to keep things positive.