Create-a-Taco Throwdown and contest!

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First time making tamales
 
I used the left over skirt steak from last night, added some water, a can of chipotle sauce and 1/4 can of red chili sauce, one pablano and some onion. 
 
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I soaked corn husks overnight in water and followed this online recipe for making the tamale mix.
 
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Steaming for about 2 hours while I wait on the Cochinita to finish in the smoker
 
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Also made a few sauces. This one is a hotsauce I made from the following peppers. 
From left to right
 
Bolsa de Dulce (2 phenos), Aji Omni Color, Inca berry, Criolla sella, Bonda ma Jacques, Tepin X lemon drop and a Orange wild brazil
 
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Blended with 1/4 mango, applesauce, salt, juice of a lime and a clove of garlic
 
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Other sauce is a Creamy tomatillo avocado sauce. Peppers are Xalapas jalapeno, bolsa de dulce, tepin x lemon drop, serrano, tomatillos, lime, salt, cilantro and a few pineapple ground cherries. 
 
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Pulse in the food processor until smooth, add half a diced white onion and two avocados mix by hand until smooth and "creamy"
 
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Damn dude killin the tamales. If you like them, try banana leaves next time. The Colombian way. They are moister. I like both ways but I like the moist a little better. A little wet on the outside, as the husk actually breathes.
 
Lookin real good man!
 
Meat stalled at 184 on smoker so moving to a foiled pan to finish while tamales steam. 
 
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The Hot Pepper said:
Damn dude killin the tamales. If you like them, try banana leaves next time. The Colombian way. They are moister. I like both ways but I like the moist a little better. A little wet on the outside, as the husk actually breathes.
 
Lookin real good man!
Click to expand...
 
I'll have to give that a try, I imagine they are a little sweeter that way as well. 
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Damn dude killin the tamales. If you like them, try banana leaves next time. The Colombian way. They are moister. I like both ways but I like the moist a little better. A little wet on the outside, as the husk actually breathes.
 
Lookin real good man!
Click to expand...
Oh Yeah!
 
Meat stalled at 184 on smoker so moving to a foiled pan to finish while tamales steam. 
 
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I'll have to give that a try, I imagine they are a little sweeter that way as well. 


Dayum, yo ...

D3's packin' more pork than Yanet Garcia ...
 
Smoked Cochinita Pibil Y Carne Tamales​
 ​
Tortilla prep and recipe can be found HERE <-- Click me if interested
 
Toppings
I made a Creamy tomatillo and avocado salsa and a mango hot sauce with fresh peppers from the garden. Recipes and Prep HERE <-- Click me
 
Side
Homemade steak tamales with the left over smoked skirt steak from last night. I honestly have to say these was the best tamales I ever had and probably out shined the tacos. Prep Is HERE <-- Click me
 
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Meat
Marinaded a Pork loin with Anchiote paste, fresh ground toasted cumin, pequin peppers, garlic, orange juice and wrapped in banana leaves. refrigerated over night. Smoked over Alderwood for 9 hours at 250f finished in oven at 350 for additional 40 mins to reach target temp. 
 
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Served Cochinita with Pickled onions, salsa and mango hotsauce and fresh crumbled fresco cheese
 
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Action shots 
 
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grantmichaels said:
I've never had that, but it looks pretty ;)
Click to expand...
 
It's basically a fancy name for carnitas, "Cochinita pibil (also puerco pibil or cochinita con achiote) is a traditional Mexican slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán Península of Mayan origin. Preparation of traditional cochinita or puerco pibil involves marinating the meat in strongly acidic citrus juice, coloring it with annatto seed, and roasting the meat while it is wrapped in banana leaf."
 
Usually it's suckling pig and buried in a fire pit and slow cooked. Smoker leaves it a little less juicy than if It was done say in a dutch oven or pan roasted. I fell in love with the dish at one my favorite mexican restraunts. I'd love to make it one time in the crock pot or something to retain the juices but smoker adds a beautiful flavor that you just can't get like that. 
 
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Stewed Lamb Tacos with Peppers and Prosciutto
 
Originally I wanted to try two variations on this taco. And I made a mental note to do that. Unfortunately, I lost the note in the process of doing things-so it became stewed lamb tacos only. The additions were red and yellow bell peppers, garlic, and onions-along with some prosciutto. The liquid for cooking was a combination of berry blend frozen drink, rice vinegar, and lemon juice. I liked the flavor of the filling. Had I remembered to reserve some of each of the separate ingredients prior to mixing them for cooking, I would perhaps like to have seen how this end result would have differed from the result I arrived at.
 
Ingredient List:
 
Lamb shoulder
bread flour
paprika
oregano
sea salt
black pepper
olive oil
prosciutto
yellow onions
garlic
red bell pepper
yellow bell pepper
cayenne pepper
bay leaves
berry blend drink
rice vinegar
fresh lemon juice
 
To prepare meat:
 
1.           First I needed to prepare the prosciutto, as the lamb and other ingredients are cooked in the same oil.
2.           Having not worked with prosciutto before, I proceeded to attempt to slice the prosciutto-only to discover it was layered between plastic that I could barely see. Once I extricated the prosciutto from the many layers of thin plastic, I sliced it into pieces as well as I could.
3.           Then I added 1/4 cup of olive oil to a pan, and cooked the prosciutto for about 3 minutes on medium heat.
4.           Then I set the prosciutto on paper towels to dry until needed.
5.           After this, I trimmed off the excess fat and bone from the lamb shoulder I used; and then used scissors to cut it into cubes.
6.           Then I made a seasoned flour consisting of 1 cup bread flour, 1 tablespoon approx. paprika, a few turns of shaker salt and black pepper, a few shakes of cayenne pepper, and about 1 teaspoon of oregano. I transferred this mixture to a bag and tossed the lamb chunks a bit in it until coated. Using the same oil from the prosciutto, I then cooked the lamb in a skillet for about 9 minutes on medium heat until browned.
7.           Once done, I transferred the lamb to another paper towel to dry until needed.
8.           At some point during the process, I set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
To prepare vegetables:
 
1.           First I washed all fresh ingredients.
2.           Then I sliced two onions in half and then into several wedges; taking care to not pull the onions apart by rings.
3.           After this I peeled and prepared eight cloves of garlic. This was followed by using a wooden mallet to smash the garlic cloves flat.
4.           The peppers were deseeded, sliced, and thinly sliced to my desired size.
5.           Once all of the fresh ingredients were prepared, I took the vegetables and placed them in the skillet containing the oil used to cook the meats. Two bay leaves were also added.
6.           The vegetables were then coated with oil and cooked for 10 minutes until browned.
7.           Once the vegetables had browned appropriately, I then added the prosciutto and lamb chunks back into the same skillet.
8.           Prior to this I mixed up a pitcher of berry blend frozen drink, and transferred two cups full to a mixing bowl.
9.           I then juiced some lemons, and added a tablespoon of lemon juice to the mixing bowl for each cup of berry blend.
10.         This juice was then stirred; and two cups of the mixture were added to the skillet. The skillet contents were then brought to a boil.
11.         Once ready, the skillet contents were poured into a deep oven-safe covered cooking dish.
12.         This dish was cooked at 350 Fahrenheit for two hours. The dish was check frequently for evaporation, and an additional cup of berry blend mixture was added to compensate at about the hour mark. Some remaining was poured in late in the cooking process.
13.         At only fifteen minutes remaining, the tortillas were heated in the oven. This was done by wrapping some store bought tortillas completely in aluminum foil-and placing them on the bottom oven rack.
14.         Once both the lamb mixture and the tortillas were done, both were removed from the oven and the taco was prepared.
15.         I discarded the bay leaves; and then drained the liquid off the ingredients using a slotted spoon-after which I placed the ingredients on a tortilla.
 

 

 

 
 
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