When I think of all the different party foods…Mexican comes to mind. It is such a comfort food in my book and for so many of my friends and family when I entertain. I love enchiladas, tacos & burritos but I also love quesadillas, but sometimes all of that can be too heavy for a cocktail party. My latest recipe for mini pulled pork & cheddar quesadillas is the perfect appetizer to serve along with salsa and/or guacamole. These bite sized bundles of Mexican joy are perfect for your cocktail party and the pork just melts in your mouth as well as the gooey cheddar cheese as you bite into the crispy outer grilled layer. One alternative to leaving the pork in your oven for several hours while you are home is to pull out that slow cooker and cook the pork in that on low for 8 hours, so after you come home from work you can assemble these quesadillas and refrigerate them until the next day of your party and grill them on your stove top. You can also make full size quesadillas and have them for dinner along with some re-fried beans and a crisp salad.
Mini Chipotle Pulled Pork & Cheddar Quesadillas
These mini quesadillas are the perfect party food and go so well with Margaritas
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs boneless pork shoulder or pork butt
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 chipotle chili from canned chipotle chilies in adobo, minced
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce (reserve 1 cup for later use)
- 3 tbsp adobo sauce from the canned chipotle chilies
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 24 4 inch flour tortillas, if you can't find this size at the store, use a biscuit cutter to cut them
- 1 1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
-
Place the pork in a roasting pan, set aside
-
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, pepper,
salt, cumin and ground coriander and rub this mix all over the pork, massaging
it into the meat and into all the nooks and crannies -
now rub the garlic and the minced chipotle chili all over the
pork as well -
sprinkle the chopped onion over the top and follow that by drizzling 1 cup of enchilada
sauce on top -
cover with foil and bake in the oven for 3 ½ hours or
until the pork falls apart when testing it with a forktake out of oven and drain the liquid
-
"pull" or "shred" the pork using two forks until you have small shreds
and mix in the remaining 1 cup of enchilada sauce, adobo sauce and chopped cilantro and mix well, taste it, add more salt & pepper if you wish and if you want it more spicy,
add some more minced chipotle chili -
Assembling the quesadillas working with 6 at a time; place
6 tortillas on a microwave safe plate and lay a paper towel dampened with water
over the top and microwave for 1 minute, this makes them pliable so they are
easy to work with -
add two heaping tablespoons of pork to one half of each
tortilla, followed by 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese, fold the tortilla in
half and press firmly so it stays together and place in a dish, repeat this process until all 24 tortillas
have been done. -
Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil or using cooking spray
in a nonstick skillet, cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium high heat -
Place a few quesadillas in the pan for a couple of
minutes and turn over and cook again for a couple of minutes or until both
sides are a golden brown, repeat until all the quesadillas are done -
Serve on a platter with salsa and/or guacamole on the
side Serves 12 as an appetizer
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