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BRIAN IN THE KITCHEN  brought to you by Stittsworth Meats

May 17 2018

American Craft Beer Week - Pulled Pork Mole Tacos with Bemidji Brewing Robust Porter




For the Easy Mole Sauce

    6 dried ancho chilies
    16 ounces very hot water
    1 pasilla pepper roasted
    2 pounds vine ripened or heirloom tomatoes roasted
    2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
    1 large yellow onion chopped
    6 cloves garlic
    1 teaspoons ground cumin
    1 teaspoon oregano
    1 cinnamon stick
    1 tablespoon sesame seeds
    4 cloves whole
    2 corn tortillas
    2 tablespoons raisins
    1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted unsweetened creamy peanut butter
    1 ounces round Mexican Chocolate
    1 tablespoon brown sugar

For the Pulled Pork

    5 pound pork shoulder roast bone-in if possible
    12 ounces Bemidji Brewing Robust Porter
    2 teaspoons ground ginger
    1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
    1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

For serving the tacos

    Corn tortillas
    Avocado
    Pinto Beans

To Make the Pulled Pork:

Sprinkle the pork roast with the ground ginger, cayenne and salt. Place the roast in a crock pot, pour in the beer and lime juice and cook on low for at least 8 hours. Mine cooked for 12 hours and the meat fell right off the bone.
   
Remove the meat from a crock pot and place it on a cutting board.
   
When cool enough to handle, shred the pork using a fork (Discard the bone if your roast was bone-in and discard any excess fat).
   
Either put the meat back in the crock pot juices for more flavor or place meat in a bowl/container.

To Make the Easy Mole Sauce:

Heat water to a boil and pour about 14 to 16 ounces of hot water into a glass. Submerge the dried chillies and allow them to sit for 20 – 45 minutes. Remove chilies from water, remove stems and seeds and save the chili flesh and the water they were soaking in. You will be using the water as a means of thinning out the sauce. You can also use 16 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth for this if you’d prefer.
   
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat and sauté the onion until very soft and browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the sautéed onion and garlic to a blender.
   
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half and place them on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet with the pasilla pepper. Roast tomatoes and pasilla pepper until skin is browned and begins pulling away from the soft flesh. Remove the stem and seeds from the pasilla pepper and add the pasilla pepper and tomatoes in the blender with the sautéed onion/garlic.
   
Place ALL ingredients (including tortillas) except for the cinnamon stick, the water the chilies were soaking in and the chocolate into the blender and blend until completely smooth. This may take a few minutes.
   
Pour the mixture into a large sauce pan and heat over medium. Add in the cinnamon stick, chocolate and pour a little of the water (or broth) into the sauce pan.
   
Stir until chocolate is melted and add more water.
   
Continue cooking the sauce at medium-low or medium heat (just below its boiling point), adding the water until there’s no more, and stirring periodically for 45 minutes.

To Prepare the Mole Tacos:

When ready to serve, wrap corn tortillas in aluminum foil, place them in the oven at 300 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes until warm.
   
In a skillet, add desired amount of pulled pork meat and heat over medium high for 3-5 minutes to get a nice crisp on the meat.
   
Add a heaping portion of meat, mole sauce, avocado and additional desired toppings (I’d avoid very flavorful toppings such as onion or cilantro).
   
Protect your plate with all your might so as not to allow hungry boys to steal it out from under you.

NOTE - for a quicker after work meal: braise the pork in the crock pot all day...then make the mole, or use store bought...with added Bemidji Brewing Robust Porter added to it!

Beer Paring - Bemidji Brewing Robust Porter.  The deep brown to black in color brew, has ruby highlights when held up to light.  The aroma is cocoa, chocolate and coffee...perfect for mole!  The taste is clean, crisp roasted malts with dark fruit cocoa and coffee notes.  It's a surprisingly refreshing black ale.  Bemidji Brewing Robust Porter has an ABV of 5.3% and comes in at 30 IBU.