The classic carnitas quesadilla benefits extremely well from the Asian twist of the sweet smokiness of Korean BBQ sauce boosted with additional garlic and mayo. Save extra carnitas to be used in tacos, tortilla soup, eggs, and in other meal prep!
Recipe and Photography by Noah Rosen
Forge To Table Knives
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
Carnitas:
1, 4-5 lb pork shoulder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup Corona or other light beer
1 medium white onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo
2 teaspoons ground cumin, toasted
2 teaspoons ground coriander, toasted
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Quesadilla (for 1)
1 large flour tortilla
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
2 ounces shredded cheese blend
1/2 ounces cotija cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon gochujang Korean BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, minced
Directions:
With your Forge To Table Boning Knife, trim fat from pork shoulder. Cut into 3-inch chunks. In a crockpot on high heat or large cast iron, heat vegetable oil and quickly sear cubed pork to brown. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook for 5 hours on low until fork tender.
Remove pork from the cooker and shred using two forks or your hands. Place onto a sheet tray lined with foil. Reserve juice.
Broil meat on high for 5 minutes or until the edges are crispy. Spoon over a few ounces of reserved braising liquid as needed.
To build an individual quesadilla: onto a flour tortilla add cheese, then sliced red onions, and finally carnitas. Slide onto an oiled hot griddle. Grill until beginning to melt, then fold in half and flip to grill the other side.
Meanwhile, combine BBQ sauce, mayo, and minced garlic.
Once the quesadilla is fully melted and marked from the grill, remove it from the heat and cut it into wedges. Drizzle with aioli and sprinkle with crumbled cheese and cilantro. Enjoy!
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