Get ready to fiesta like there’s no mañana with these Pork Belly Tacos! These aren’t your average tacos, they’re better! Trust us, you won’t want to share these with your amigos and amigas. But don’t worry, with a recipe this easy, you’ll be able to whip up a batch faster than you can say “¡olé!” So put on your sombrero and let’s get cooking!
Equipment:
- MEATER Plus or Block
- Small bowl
- Large bowl
- Blender or food processor
- Sharp knife
Time:
- Prep – 5 minutes
- Cook – MEATER will estimate for you!
Doneness:
- 165°F – Fully cooked, juicy, tender results 🤤
Ingredients:
Pork Belly
- 5 lb. pork belly skin removed
- 3 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- taco tortillas
- 1 cup of crumbled cotija cheese for garnish
Mango Salsa
- 2 cups fresh mango, diced
- ½ red onion, diced
- ½ red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
- 1 cup of cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp. of olive oil
- sea salt to taste
Avocado Crema
- 2 whole avocados
- ½ cup of sour cream
- 1 whole lime, juiced (add more to your liking)
- 2 cups of cilantro
- 3 fresh garlic cloves
- salt and pepper to taste
- water (to desired consistency)
Instructions:
1. Fire up your smoker to 275 °F, we’re ready to smoke!
2. In a small bowl, mix all the pork belly dry rub ingredients together, then set it aside.
3. Time to get artsy with your knife skills! Take your sharpest knife and slice scores through the pork belly’s fat (but not through the flesh) about 1″ apart, creating a beautiful cross-hatch pattern. This allows the flavors to penetrate and create some crispy, caramelized goodness.
4. Season the pork belly generously with the dry rub you mixed up, and then insert your MEATER probe(s) into the center of the thickest part of the pork belly. This is where the magic happens! Set up your cook in the app with a target internal temperature of 165 °F. Now place your pork belly on the grates fat side up so that those juices can flow down and make everything super tender and flavorful.
5. While your pork belly is getting smoky, let’s get started on the mango salsa and avocado crema. Slice up all the salsa ingredients, mix them into a large bowl, and set it aside. Once that’s done, add all the crema ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
6. Once MEATER alerts you to remove the meat from heat, let it rest, and begin warming up those taco tortillas.
7. Assemble time! Get creative and have fun with it. Add a dollop of avocado crema, a spoonful of mango salsa, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese on top of the pork belly tacos. Your taste buds will thank you for this delicious fiesta in your mouth!