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Sunday, May 9, 2010

A Prelude to a Post

Slow Cooker Tequila-Lime Pork Loin Tacos

"Be Prepared." -- Boy Scouts Motto

I was never a Scout, Boy or otherwise, which was just as well, considering I am almost never prepared. 

How often have I had to scuttle a planned recipe because I failed to check the pantry beforehand for the necessary ingredients? Too many to count. Unlike many other bloggers, I do not have a pipeline of posts written in advance to keep my site consistently updated. Instead, I end up scrambling for something to write when I finally realize that 10 days have passed since my last original post. Some people (*cough* Mr. Noodle *cough*) might say I lack focus, but the simple truth of the matter is that I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. Now, more than a week into May, that elusive bolt has finally gotten around to zapping me again. And, as if to make up for lost time, it has done so with a rare double jolt: I'm both late AND early!

In a couple of days, I will be posting my contribution to the International Dumplings Incident Party, hosted by Penny at Jeroxie (Addictive & Consuming). While the planned dumpling dish will remain a secret for now, I would like to share in advance a key element that comes courtesy of our Cinco de Mayo meal last Wednesday. Yes, the holiday is already passé, but bear with me because it was a delicious, if not terribly original, dinner. More importantly, it has found a second life in my next blog post. Where I'm late in posting about one celebration, I find myself a step ahead for another!

Slow Cooker Tequila-Lime Pork Loin Roast

Having tacos for Cinco de Mayo is hardly cause to strike up the mariachi band, but this pork loin recipe comes close to making it worthwhile. The inspiration came from a same-named recipe by Scott of ScottySnacks; however, the Snackman didn't count on a lazy Noodle who wanted to use as few ingredients as possible with as little effort as possible to produce a similarly tasty hunk of porcine meatiness. So, with a few changes here and there, I came up with a quickie version. 


Yields: a lot

Ingredients

2 1/4 lbs pork loin roast
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole lime, juiced
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup tequila
1 small bay leaf
1 whole chipotle, dried or 1 Tbsp ground chipotle

tortillas
white onions, diced
tomatoes, chopped
cilantro
salsa (optional)

To make:

1. Combine cumin, oregano, salt and chili powder, and rub all over pork loin roast;
2. Place roast in slow cooker and add remaining ingredients;
3. Cover and set slow cooker to high. Cook for 2-3 hours, or until roast is just done; alternately, set cooker to low for 4-6 hours until just done.
4. When finished, removed roast from slow cooker and shred meat;
5. Heat tortillas and assemble tacos with fresh onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Serve with a refreshing Mexican-themed adult libation of choice!

Two and a quarter pounds of pork is quite a bit of meat! I froze the leftovers, intending to have a Cinco de Mayo dinner redux at a later date, but that lightning bolt of inspiration hit me hard this weekend. So, I thawed it out and incorporated it into a dish that I'm hoping will turn out well enough to join Penny's International Dumplings Incident party.

Please come back on Wednesday to see how Tequila-Lime Pork Loin Roast and dumplings go together . . . 


31 comments:

  1. Yah, I now have a pork carnitas recipe to try. I love mexican food but rarely make it at home!

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  2. That looks fabulous!! Love the look of the tortilla!

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  3. Get well quickly! And I can't wait to see what you come up with.

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  4. I'm still chuckling at:

    Yields: A lot

    This looks SO good, for Cinco or any day!

    Glad to hear the bolt of inspiration hit you. I can certainly identify with feeling the need for inspiration!

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  5. This looks lovely, regardless of the occasion! And lets be honest, I love any thing with beautiful leaves of cilantro. ;)

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  6. I'm looking forward to your post on Wednesday but meanwhile let me enjoy and be content with your slow cooker tequila-lime pork loin Tacos... I could hear the mariachi dancing haha...

    i hear you... i always make a mental note to self that i should have posts in the pipeline but oh well life gets in the way...

    see you on Wednesday!

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  7. Just looking at it makes me salivate...thanks for sharing this scrumptious tortilla with slow cooker tequila lime pork loin fillings. I can imagine how heavenly it can be :)

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  8. Mmm....I love the look...very refreshing colour of the filling. I like it.

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  9. I am always on the lookout for a good slow cooker pork recipe!

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  10. Mmm - looks delicious! And I always love another use for the slow cooker. I'd say this one, like all of your posts really, was well worth the wait!

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  11. Shredded pork is a new concept for me because it wasn't something that I grew up eating. I love pork and finally decided to try my hand at some shredded tacos. I did exactly what you did and used the crockpot, so helpful!

    Your recipe sounds fab TN and anything with Tequlia has got to be good for you. :D

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  12. It looks beautiful and so delicious! I've never tried to make pork in my slow cooker, but this sounds like the perfect recipe to start out with. I love the added tequila!

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  13. What a combo! I'm talking about the flavors and the method of cooking. ;) Shredded pork tacos keep climbing the list as one of my fave foods. I just love these festive summer flavors. Can't wait to try it!

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  14. These tacos with scrumptious slow roasted pork look seriously tempting and making me hungry! I can't wait to see your dumplings on Wednesday!

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  15. This sounds SO delicious! Pork is my FAVORITE... and those look like perfect tacos!

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  16. I could eat 2 or three of these. They look wonderful!

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  17. I love Mexican food and I am a huge pork fan!!! The flavors sounds fantastic!!!!

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  18. Oh my gosh that happens to me all the time! & I'm like you my blog posts happen with my cooking inspiration. Sometimes I wonder if other bloggers are cooking more than three meals a day with desserts at each one.

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  19. Oh, don't worry about it. Don't force inspiration to strike when there is none! It's like a butterfly...

    Anyway, I'm not usually a fan of this part of the pig but your treatment here just packs in a lot of flavor - love it.

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  20. I've had that happen to me so many times before. Slightly puts a damper on my baking or cooking plans.

    Aweseom pork loin. i think it's time I lug out the slow cooker from the "appliance cabinet" hehehe...Make me some tacos while I'm at it. :)

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  21. Cinco de Mayo of the official opening season for summertime salsas and margaritas as far as I'm concerned. Tequila and lime were meant to be together and with pork in the equation, it is a guarenteed winner. Can't wait to see what you come up with in the dumpling department.
    p.s. love that this recipe makes "a lot"

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  22. Thank you, everyone, for your comments! I'll be posting about the dumplings (and how I used the leftover pork loin) tomorrow and am finishing up another article. I've been rather lax lately in replying to individual comments, so I hope to remedy that soon!

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  23. I'm all about any recipe that yields "A lot!" Mouthwatering, TN!

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  24. This sounds wonderful. I feel your pain about blogging when inspiration strikes, or rather about not being able to blog because of lack of timely inspiration! This recipe was worth waiting for though!

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  25. Oh yum! I was going to make pork this week, but we opted for vegetarian this week, but I am keeping my options open for next week because this looks good!

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  26. Hahaha, I'm beginning to grasp how you think Mrs. Noodle :D Very spontaneous and lively! When I blog, I have a number of articles, but I have a hard time writing them hahaha!

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  27. Would that I were one of those bloggers that had a pipeline of posts ready to go at any time - if only I could manage to be that organised and get everything else done too!

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  28. I'm the same - scrambling around at the last minute when I realize I haven't posted anything in ages! It must be, I think, the girl in me - I keep changing my mind about what to post! I wish I was more disciplined!

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  29. My mouth is watering reading this. Yes, it's a bit more Tex-Mex than fully Mex, but you used corn tortillas (YAY!) and I love the use of pico as a garnish for the tacos.

    Are you sure there isn't a little Mexican in you? :)

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  30. We just did a competition at work- an Iron Chef America style competition where they name an ingredient and everyone has to make a dish for the competition. Our secret ingredient was "LIME" so I looked this up yesterday and thought, we'll give it a shot! I made these last night and added a little extra lime juice to the recipe. The verdict is in and WE WON the contest with this recipe! The managers from our office have to take our whole team to happy hour. It was PERFECT!!!! Thanks for sharing this with the world!

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  31. Anonymous - That's awesome! You made my day . . . 8-)

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Thank you so much for reading my post! I truly appreciate any and all comments; however, my apologies if it takes me a few days to respond. I promise that I do read them and will reply as soon as possible.