Slow-Cooker Pomegranate Pork Tacos with Cutie Jalapeño Salsa and Quick Pickled Red Onions

It’s been 46 days since I last posted a Mexican inspired recipe here. FORTY SIX. That might as well be a century in my book, since I rarely go five days without consuming a few cheesy enchiladas or at the very least, chips and salsa.

I miss everything about Mexican food. The cheese! The sauce! The spice!

There isn’t even really a valid reason I’ve abstained, it just kind of happened. There were super bowl parties and engagement parties. Baby showers and snow showers. Food projects and house projects. You know, life.

Of course that’s only my excuse for not going out for Mexican, but what’s my excuse for not making it at home?

Nada. I’ve literally got nothing.

But then, a few weeks ago, the parties stopped. The skies parted. The heavens shone down. And my stomach spoke to me loud and clear. It was time.

Time to char some tortillas. Time to squeeze some limes. Time to crack open some modelos. And time for Mexican.

So, until I get my perfect enchiladas and melt-in-your-mouth flautas from our favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint, I’m going to repeatedly nose dive into these bad boys.

These are kind of a hybrid between a street taco, and a taco you’d find at one of those we-charge-for-chips-and-dip kind of Mexican places. And while I don’t condone charging for chips and dip (it should be criminal), I do kind of enjoy the “fancified” Mexican dishes they have on the menus when I’m looking for a little change.

Here, bite sized pork loin pieces are crisped up in a little bit of olive oil over a screaming hot stove and then thrown into the crockpot along with some pomegranate juice and beef stock. They’re slow-cooked until they barely start to pull apart, but also maintain their shape. If you prefer more of a pulled pork texture, I’d use a pork butt instead of a loin and cook a touch longer.

Once the meat is cooked, it’s tucked into charred corn tortillas and topped with a bright citrus salsa and some quick pickled red onions for a touch of acid and color.

While I do admit there are quite a few components to these guys, everything is really simple to put together. The pork can be started early in the day and forgotten until dinner time, and the onions and salsa literally take minutes to put together, so your hands on time in this recipe is really only about 20 minutes or so.

I was sooo into these; they’re the perfect bite of sweet, citrus, crunchy, and of course, spicy.

Now, if only I could get my hands onto some margaritas, I’d be complete.