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 . . .