Tacos Árabes (Pueblan Pork Tacos with Chipotle and Yogurt Sauces)
By Steve DunnPublished on January 30, 2025
Time
2¼ hours
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
PORK AND ONIONS
2½ pounds boneless pork butt roast 4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided2 large onions, halved and sliced thin, divided2 garlic cloves, sliced thin3¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and cracked1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and cracked1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano 1¼ teaspoons pepper, divided1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup water ⅓ cup lime juice (3 limes)1 teaspoon minced fresh thymeCHIPOTLE SAUCE
1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chile in adobo sauce ¼ cup water 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground corianderYOGURT SAUCE
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons water, plus extra as needed4 teaspoons lime juice 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oilBefore You Begin
Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. We developed this recipe with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using Morton kosher salt, which is denser, use only 2¼ teaspoons in step 2. Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. The seeds can be cracked in a mortar and pestle or using the bottom of a heavy skillet. The chipotle sauce is quite spicy, so use sparingly if you are sensitive to heat. Tacos árabes are traditionally served in yeasted flatbreads called pan árabe, but since pan árabe can be hard to find, we call for pitas (look for Arabic-style, which have a pocket and are thinner, as opposed to non-hollow Greek pitas) or flour tortillas. The pork can be braised and sauces can be made up to two days in advance and refrigerated.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Trim excess fat from exterior of pork, leaving ¼-inch-thick fat cap. Slice pork against grain into ½-inch-thick slabs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add half of onions and cook, stirring frequently, until starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, oregano, 1 teaspoon pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in water and lime juice. Add pork, nestling into onions and liquid (pork will not be fully submerged). Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Cover pot; transfer to oven; and cook until pork is tender but paring knife inserted into pork still meets some resistance, about 1 hour, flipping meat halfway through cooking. While pork cooks, prepare both sauces and sautéed onions.
- Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Season with salt to taste; set aside until serving.
- Place garlic in small skillet and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until skins are charred on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and mince garlic. Transfer garlic to bowl and stir in yogurt, cilantro, water, lime juice, and oil. If necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons extra water so sauce is pourable. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then refrigerate until needed.
- Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add remaining half of onions, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until charred in spots but still crisp-tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Off heat, stir in thyme and set aside.
- Remove pot from oven. Transfer pork to cutting board. Set Dutch oven over high heat and bring braising liquid to rapid simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any browned bits from sides of pot, until syrupy (spatula drawn across bottom of pot should leave clean trail), 12 to 15 minutes. Off heat, return pork to Dutch oven and coat both sides of each piece with sauce.
- Heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with wire rack. Arrange pork in single layer on rack and spoon about 2 teaspoons sauce over top of each piece. Broil until pork is well browned with bits of charring and crisping around edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes, then slice each piece crosswise into ⅛-inch strips.
- Transfer pork to serving platter. Serve, passing onions, yogurt sauce, chipotle sauce, pitas, cilantro sprigs, and lime wedges separately.
for the pork and onions
for the chipotle sauce
for the yogurt sauce
Time
2¼ hoursYield
Serves 6Ingredients
PORK AND ONIONS
CHIPOTLE SAUCE
YOGURT SAUCE
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
PORK AND ONIONS
CHIPOTLE SAUCE
YOGURT SAUCE
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
PORK AND ONIONS
CHIPOTLE SAUCE
YOGURT SAUCE
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
This Pueblan union of yogurt-sauced shawarma and chipotle-tinged pork tacos was invented when Middle Easterners settled in Puebla, Mexico. They adapted their recipe for spit-roasted lamb tucked in pita bread and sauced with yogurt (shawarma) to suit local tastes and ingredient availability. Instead of the lamb, these tacos called for pork cooked in a Levantine spice blend of coriander, cumin, oregano, nutmeg, and cinnamon. In addition to the yogurt that’s served with shawarma, the tacos featured a smoky-hot chipotle sauce. The flatbread that cradled the taco, pan árabe, is a hybrid of a pita and a flour tortilla. Garnishes of lightly sautéed onions, lime, and fresh cilantro finished the tacos.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. We developed this recipe with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using Morton kosher salt, which is denser, use only 2¼ teaspoons in step 2. Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. The seeds can be cracked in a mortar and pestle or using the bottom of a heavy skillet. The chipotle sauce is quite spicy, so use sparingly if you are sensitive to heat. Tacos árabes are traditionally served in yeasted flatbreads called pan árabe, but since pan árabe can be hard to find, we call for pitas (look for Arabic-style, which have a pocket and are thinner, as opposed to non-hollow Greek pitas) or flour tortillas. The pork can be braised and sauces can be made up to two days in advance and refrigerated.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Trim excess fat from exterior of pork, leaving ¼-inch-thick fat cap. Slice pork against grain into ½-inch-thick slabs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add half of onions and cook, stirring frequently, until starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, oregano, 1 teaspoon pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in water and lime juice. Add pork, nestling into onions and liquid (pork will not be fully submerged). Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Cover pot; transfer to oven; and cook until pork is tender but paring knife inserted into pork still meets some resistance, about 1 hour, flipping meat halfway through cooking. While pork cooks, prepare both sauces and sautéed onions.
- Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Season with salt to taste; set aside until serving.
- Place garlic in small skillet and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until skins are charred on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and mince garlic. Transfer garlic to bowl and stir in yogurt, cilantro, water, lime juice, and oil. If necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons extra water so sauce is pourable. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then refrigerate until needed.
- Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add remaining half of onions, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until charred in spots but still crisp-tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Off heat, stir in thyme and set aside.
- Remove pot from oven. Transfer pork to cutting board. Set Dutch oven over high heat and bring braising liquid to rapid simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any browned bits from sides of pot, until syrupy (spatula drawn across bottom of pot should leave clean trail), 12 to 15 minutes. Off heat, return pork to Dutch oven and coat both sides of each piece with sauce.
- Heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with wire rack. Arrange pork in single layer on rack and spoon about 2 teaspoons sauce over top of each piece. Broil until pork is well browned with bits of charring and crisping around edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes, then slice each piece crosswise into ⅛-inch strips.
- Transfer pork to serving platter. Serve, passing onions, yogurt sauce, chipotle sauce, pitas, cilantro sprigs, and lime wedges separately.
for the pork and onions
for the chipotle sauce
for the yogurt sauce
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