Crispy Cheese Pulled Pork Tacos with Sesame Slaw

It’s Taco Tuesday! I have died and gone to over-eating heaven. Seriously. Dinner tonight was quite possibly the most delicious food I’ve had all year. Possibly in the past 5 years. I cannot remember the last meal I enjoyed more than what I shared with my family tonight. My daughter declared “Mommy, this is so good, because it makes my brain smarter” – apparently beyond being simply and utterly delicious, it also fuels the mind.  What could make me rave so much? Get this…BBQ pulled pork wrapped in a crispy cheese shell, topped with a tangy creamy sesame slaw. Oh yeah baby. That is  just phenomenal food. Have I ever mentioned how much I am in love with cheese? Especially the crispy kind. If you’re like me and seek out the crunchy parts on the edges of scalloped potatoes, casseroles, nachos etc — you’re going to pass out from pleasure when you taste these things.I found this recipe quite by accident last week and practically licked my computer screen when the picture came up. Major thanks to Lauren’s Latest for such a fabulous dinner experience. I tweaked her recipe just a tad – overall, it was pretty much perfect just as she wrote it. I also made some taco shells out of small corn tortillas in addition to the crispy cheese shells – great both ways. Much more over the top sinful with the cheese shells, still excellent with regular tortillas.

for the pulled pork:
1 3-4 lb boned pork shoulder roast
1 cup beef broth
1 cup favorite BBQ sauce
salt
pepper
——
1 cup favorite BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
salt
pepper

for the sesame slaw:
4 cups coleslaw cabbage mix (I just shredded up half a head of cabbage and a couple of carrots in my food processor)
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

for the crispy cheese taco shells:
6 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Place pork shoulder into cold crock pot and cover with beef broth, BBQ sauce, salt and pepper. Cover with lid and cook on low 8-10  hours or until pork is very tender.

Remove pork from crock pot and drain off fat and most of the cooking liquid, leaving about 1 cup in the bottom. Shred pork being sure to remove any visible fat. Place shredded pork back into warm crock pot and stir in remaining 1 cup BBQ sauce, mustard, brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste. At this point you can put the pork in the fridge in the sauce up to a couple of days. Reheat in the crock pot when ready to serve. I cooked and shredded the pork one day, allowed it to sit overnight in the fridge, then set it to warm and let it go in the crock pot all day the next day before serving it for dinner.

For the sesame slaw, combine cabbage mix, cilantro and onions. Set aside. In small bowl, mix sesame oil, mayo, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper together. Pour over slaw and toss to combine. Set aside 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Preheat a small (preferably non stick) skillet to medium heat. Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheese into hot skillet, making a 4-5 inch circle (approximately). Cook 2-3 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and the bottom is golden brown. Remove carefully in one piece and place on some paper towels. Dab the top to remove any excess grease and quickly place over a wooden spoon handle to shape cheese into a taco shell shape. Let crispy cheese cool and remove. Repeat this process until all shells have been formed.

To serve, spoon some warm pulled pork into the bottom of a crispy cheese shell and top with sesame slaw.