Friday, March 5, 2010

Midwestern Pork Enchis

After Diana's post on how authentic enchiladas are made with only corn tortillas, I felt compelled to qualify mine as a Midwestern contruct :) That being said, these are the enchiladas we always eat around here, though we'll be working in some of those Spanish numbers, as well.

Midwestern Pork Enchis
Start with a 1-2 # pork roast (you can easily make a full size roast, about 4 pound size. I used the cheapest roast at  Fareway the day I bought them as I had no roasts from my pig purchase. Just double everything else and freeze the enchiladas to bake later. I do not bake them before I freeze them.) I brined it in a large dish with about a 1/2 c salt, 1/2 c honey or sugar, 1/8 cup peppercorns and enough water to dissolve everything in and cover the meat. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight, if you have time, otherwise for at least a couple hours. Pork tastes so much better brined.

Seasonings for the meat: salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, cumin. I mix about equal parts together and cover the roast-thick cover the roast.
Place the roast in the crockpot and douse with seasonings. Place on low and roast until the meat is falling apart all over the place. Pull it like you would for sandwiches, removing any bones or large pieces of fat. Stir the meat into the juices and seasonings.

You can assemble at this point or place in the fridge to assemble later.
To assemble you will need:
1 recipe of salsa roja   (I make this ahead of time, and in big batches. They freeze well on their own, as well as keep in the fridge for quite some time so you can pull it out as you need it. I use it in chili and posole as well).
shredded cheese- I used a blend of colby jack this time, but any will work that melts well.
flour tortillas
1 recipe of homemade salsa
casserole dish and oil


Place the tortilla flat and open, and spread in about a palmful of meat in the center. Add a half palmful or so of cheese, and about a 1/4 c of sauce and 1/4 c salsa. start to roll, folding in the sides as you go to secure everything in the tortilla. Place in the greased casserole pan, and continue until you run out of meat or tortillas.  Top with any remaining sauce, salsa and then on the very top cheese. I keep these to the middle of the enchiladas as we bake ours until the edges of each enchi is getting crispy and browned. Once that is happening and the cheese is melting, they are ready to eat! I will try to get more pics and more exact measurements the next time we eat them. This is another one I've been making so long I don't pay attention.

3 comments:

  1. yum! i love enchiladas but sometimes i shy away from them because they usually are a little bit of work to prep and cook.

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  2. I'm glad to see some else shops at Fareway for their meat. Did you just b/c you didn't have want you needed on hand, or do you really like their meat?

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  3. Oh, that looks and sounds delicious! Love that pork! My older son makes them a lot and generously gives us a portion but I've never tried making them. I will now! That pork looks so good!

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