Barbacoa Pork

The Best Barbacoa Pork

Usually, when I hit a grand slam, I’m either running the bases or shoveling food in my face at Denny’s. Which one of those two moments do you think this is? If you guessed Denny’s, you’re half right. Only, this time, I’m stuffing my face with this amazing Barbacoa Pork recipe because it’s a winner.

Marinated Pork Picnic Roast for Barbacoa Pork.

Barbacoa Pork Marinade

In case you don’t know, Barbacoa is a recipe that was developed years ago in the Caribbean and it’s where the word barbecue derives. It’s usually prepared with beef meat, from the head. Sometimes goat or lamb is substituted for more gaminess and flavor(I think that’s a made up word, “Gaminess?” idk).

In this recipe, I use a Pork Picnic Roast(shoulder), and I used the Barbacoa Beef recipe that I filmed and posted a couple of years ago and transposed it for pork by adding Cilantro and Orange juice to the ingredients. That might sound crazy but it works, good I might add. And, Carnitas has Orange juice in it so, don’t even sweat it. Anyway, I only compare the two because of the mad similarities; they’re both pork recipes, with similar ingredients, cooked for long hours at a time and they both make excellent tacos.

My favorite taco condiments, onion, cilantro and lime.

Barbacoa Pork Tacos

In my opinion, the best tacos are fried tacos and this Barbacoa Pork recipe is no exception. I do occasionally double stack corn tortilla’s and eat my tacos soft but, nothing beats a little hot oil and some salt, to crisp up and flavor a boring tortilla. Then, I just keep it real with some simple condiments; onion, cilantro and lime. No need for salsa because the fresh flavor and spice is already in each bite. If you want to check out my Pico De Gallo recipe, however, I’m not going to stop you.

Barbacoa Pork Ingredients:

10 lbs Pork Picnic Roast
Kosher Salt and Pepper 1/2 tsp per lb

Marinade
1 small onion
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled
2 Chipotle Chili’s in Adobo Sauce
2 tbsp Adobo Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1 tbsp Oregano, dried
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup Orange juice
1/2 bunch Cilantro
1 cup Red Enchilada Sauce, PMGK Recipe Only

Red Enchilada Sauce Ingredients: (Watch the Video)

12 Large Dehydrated Chili’s, seeded
1 qt Chicken Broth, approximately
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Salt, adjust to taste
2 garlic Cloves

Follow the instructions in the Barbacoa Pork video tutorial and Bake the marinated Picnic Roast at 200° Fahrenheit for 12 hours. For Tacos, I recommend Corn tortilla’s, raw or fried topped with Barbacoa Pork and Garnished with chopped Onion, Cilantro and Fresh Lime.

Blackened Seasoning

The Best Blackened Seasoning

One of the best seasonings that I would recommend to anyone the loves southern food with lot’s of flavor is this Blackened Seasoning. It falls right between Cajun Seasoning and Creole, just not as spicy as Cajun or as Salty as Creole but a nice balance of dried herbs with all of the other common ingredients like paprika, onion, garlic and pepper. It goes great on meats like chicken or barbecued pork ribs, it’s amazing on fish and shrimp and I’ve also created some amazing pasta recipes with this seasoning as well. This recipe is what I used for seasoning in my last video recipe, “Ribeye Chicken Fried Steak“, and I promised that I would show you how to make your own today.

My homemade remedy of ingredients to make Blackened Seasoning.

Blackened Seasoning Hacks

If I’m completely honest about my Blackened Seasoning recipe, I don’t make it exactly the way I tell you in the video or in the ingredients below. The ingredients I list down below make a phenomenal seasoning but it’s not exactly what I do. For example, instead of sea salt, which is great, I use Himalayan Salt because my mother in law gave me a ton of it for Christmas. Instead of just using dried Thyme, I use Italian Seasoning which adds 4 more earthy ingredients including Basil. Some folks add Basil to their Blackened Seasoning anyway so why not throw in Rosemary and marjoram, too. It already has the Oregano.

Blackened Seasoning Ingredients:

3 tbsp Smoked Paprika
2 tsp Onion Powder
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Dried Thyme
1 tsp Mexican Oregano
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Garlic Bread Pizza with Texas Toast

Garlic Bread Pizza made with Texas Toast and Spaghetti Sauce.

The Best Garlic Bread Pizza

If you’re like me and you love pizza, you can’t go wrong with this simple Garlic Bread Pizza recipe. It’s practically fool proof. Best of all. You can purchase all of the ingredients pre-made and it’s cheap to do so. I use frozen garlic Texas Toast, which already has the seasoned butter spread on every individual slice and bottled spaghetti sauce. Now all you need is grated Mozzarella cheese and pepperoni or what ever your favorite toppings may be.

Box of Generic Frozen Garlic Texas Toast.

Frozen Garlic Bread Pizza

I always preach about using fresh ingredients when making my recipes but this Garlic Bread Pizza is an exception. Purchasing pre-made Texas Toast isn’t just smart it’s more efficient, for several reasons. It’s cheap and pre-made with a spread of butter that already includes fresh garlic and herbs. Plus, bread freezes so well, after it’s baked you can’t even tell that it wasn’t made fresh. So, you can purchase a french loaf for cheap and fork out money for all of the other ingredients or just pay for one product that costs less in the long run.

You can also re-freeze these Texas Toast Pizzas if you want save the baking for later. That way these are ready go, like a frozen burrito, on demand. I purchase half size zip lock bags and package each one and freeze in batches for my kids, when they want a quick snack. They can be cooked in a toaster oven or baked in a traditional, even nuked in a microwave if you don’t mind the bread a little soggy.

Pepperoni, Spaghetti Sauce and Mozzarella cheese.

Garlic Bread Pizza Toppings

Once you decide what bread you want to use, to make your Garlic Bread Pizza, you’re off and running. I often use bottled Spaghetti sauce in place of pizza sauce but you can use barbecue sauce or even cheese whiz or nacho cheese. If you think I’m kidding, give it a try or look up my Nacho Cheese Pizza recipe and see for yourself. I use mayonnaise for my Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza and it’s phenomenal.

Now you just need to choose and your toppings. I usually keep it simple for my kids and just add pepperoni. But, believe me when I tell you, just the cheese is enough if you don’t want to add anything else. Otherwise the skies the limit.

This recipe was one of the first video recipes I ever filmed and posted. I got the idea from some Pizza Hut adds that were running back in 2012. If you’d like to see the original post, video and recipe, CLICK HERE!

Garlic Bread Pizza Ingredients:

1 box Texas Toast, 8 piece
1/2 cup Spaghetti Sauce, 1 tbsp per bread slice
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
4 oz Pepperoni, sliced

Bake Texas Toast only at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 5 minutes, then remove from oven and flip each piece. Add sauce, cheese and pepperoni, then bake again for an additional 7 minutes or until cheese is melted.