Korean Pulled Pork Tacos

Another crazy fusion type dinner with Korean Tacos!  Hey, I didn't even think this up... I saw it on TV about a food truck in L.A. famous for these Korean Tacos.  I saw that and thought... that would be so easy to do at home!

These tacos were so yummy, lots of sweet, spicy, tangy and crunchy.  They were a big hit with the whole family, maybe even with people who said they didn't like kim chi!

It does take a little bit of planning ahead since the pork roast takes all day, and the cucumbers should marinate for 4-6 hours or overnight also.  You could do a couple things, 1) put it on before you head out for work, or  2) do it on the weekend to make later in the week. 

Below are a bunch of mini recipes, but I wanted to give you a list of everything I included in the taco:

• Corn Tortillas
• Shredded twice cooked pork (recipe below)
• Marinated cucumbers (recipe below)
• Kim Chi (buy at an Asian Market, or some grocery stores)
• Shredded Asian Slaw (recipe below)
• Fried Egg Roll slivers (instructions)
• Wasabi mayo-yogurt sauce (recipe below)

Asian Inspired Pork Roast

In a slow cooker, add all the ingredients below and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours, until fork tender. Flip the meat over occasionally so that both sides of the roast are in the marinade while cooking.

2-3 lb pork roast
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 orange, or pineapple, juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp garlic, chopped

Here is what it looked like after it cooled and I shredded into larger chunks.  Retain the cooking liquid (now Korean BBQ sauce!) and refrigerate.  You will use it again. 

When you are ready to make the tacos, put 1-2 Tbsp of oil in a skillet and added the shredded pork in small batches.  Over medium high heat, fry the pork until the edges are starting to brown and carmelize, add 1-2 Tbsp of the retained BBQ sauce and heat through. Set aside, and fry another batch until complete.

Marinated Cucumbers and Red Onions
3-4 small Persian cucumbers (small seeds and good skin!)
1 small red onion, in thin slices
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Cut up vegetables and add the vinegar, sugar and salt.  Cover and refrigerate, giving it a shake now and then to make sure all gets covered by the marinade.

Asian Slaw
4-5 cups shredded cabbage
1-2 cups carrots, cut into matchsticks (you can buy it already done!)
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
1-2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper

Add the cabbage and carrots to a large bowl, adding the celery and the green onions, if using.  Add the rest of the ingredients and toss.  Let sit for 15-30 minutes to soften and flavors to meld.  Adjust salt if necessary before serving.

Wasabi Sauce
1 tsp wasabi paste*
2 Tbsp mayonaise
2 Tbsp yogurt
1 Tbsp water

Mix all ingredients and add water to make the consistency appropriate for dribbling over your taco. 
*If you can't find wasabi paste, you could use Sriracha hot sauce.

Fried Egg roll wrapper, cut into thin strips and fry in small batches over hot oil. While this may seem a bit fussy to do, this is a crucial step to the yumminess of the taco, the crunch adds something fantastic to the complete taco.

If you liked this, here's some other recipes that you might like:
Simple Fish Tacos, with Spicy Coleslaw
Thai Chicken Nachos