pork enchiladas

I’ve been so quiet here not because I intend to disappear from the internet for two years again but because I’ve started posting at Serious Eats, which is fun but is taking up the lion’s share of my blogging energy. I had, for instance, long been meaning to write here about The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook and how much I love it, and more specifically about the Oven BBQed Pork Picnic Shoulder. But I ended up posting it on Serious Eats first, as a recipe for pork tacos, which are so very good. I hinted there that the pulled pork makes excellent enchiladas, too, and I made them again this weekend to remind myself.

The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook has a recipe for easy chicken enchiladas that lends itself to endless modification. So far almost every variation I’ve tried has been really delicious, though most of them won’t win any prizes for authenticity. Here I’ve substituted pulled pork for cooked, shredded chicken and tomatillo salsa for enchilada sauce. Sometimes I only use two cups of meat, or one cup of meat and one of beans, or two cups of roasted vegetables and no meat at all. Frequently I use a lot less cheese, but since I made this for Saturday night dinner this week I decided to go for it. Boy—I had forgotten how good it is with all the meat and all the cheese. I could eat this for dinner three nights a week and not complain.

Pork Enchiladas
serves 4-6

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure a rack is in the middle position. In a bowl combine 3 cups shredded cooked pork, 2 cups of grated Monterey jack cheese, 1/2 cup tomatillo salsa (I use store-bought from Whole Foods unless tomatillos are in season), one 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and stir well to combine evenly.

Stack twelve 6-inch corn tortillas (again, I just use Whole Foods brand…nothing special) on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave until warm and soft, 40-60 seconds.

Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with vegetable oil. Fill each warm tortilla with 1/3 cup of the meat mixture; roll tightly and place in the baking dish, seam side down. When the dish is full of enchiladas, spray them lightly with the vegetable oil spray. Pour 1 cup tomatillo salsa all over them, making sure it is evenly spread. Sprinkle with 1 more cup Monterey jack. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, 20-25 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake about 5 minutes more, until the cheese browns.