Scotch bonnet pickled pineapple and pulled pork tacos

Why this recipe works

This recipe is so succulent giving you an array of flavours with each bite. The fresh, zesty citrus flavours, sweetness from the pineapple and peppery pickled onion makes for a delicious symphony of flavours. The scotch bonnet and lemon pickling liquid gives these tacos a kick of spice whilst the black beans and taco shells offer a neutral base to soak up all the flavours. Garnish with a sprig of coriander and a squeeze of lime to add freshness before serving. These tacos are great for dinner parties as it’s simple to batch cook them and guests can assemble themselves. 

The stars of the show

Pickled stuff

Pickling produce: 1 Pineapple

Sylt Pickling Liquid: 1 jar of Scotch Bonnet & Lemon

Pickled pineapple is perfect for this saucy dish. It offers freshness which compliments the zesty flavours from the lime, and juiciness which soaks through the up taco wrap and pulled pork to provide strong sweet highlights throughout the dish. It’s flavourful, fresh and fragrant.

Our scotch bonnet & lemon pickling vinegar is ideal for anyone wanting to add a kick of spice to their dish. The hints of lemon work well with with the fresh lime and the sweet and spicy contrast balances out perfectly to give a powerful hit of flavour. 

Pickling produce: 2 sizeable red onions & 1 jalapeño

Sylt Pickling Liquid: 1 jar of Juniper & Sage

Pickled red onion and jalapeño form the trimmings of our tacos, offering some extra spice to accent the meaty, scotch bonnet infused base. 

Soaking these veggies in our Sylt Juniper & Sage pickling vinegar offer an extra dimension to our trimmings. The piney notes of juniper and earthy hints from sage help to ground the spice and add depth to the flavours.

Pulled pork

Pulled pork goes great with both pickling brines used in this recipe. It’s meaty shredded texture is perfect for soaking up flavour and fully integrating with the other taco elements.  

Ingredient list

Serves 4-6

Equipment 

• An oven proof casserole (with lid) or slow cooker

 Slow cooked pork & pineapple

• 800g pork shoulder
• A few tablespoons of the pickled pineapple
• 2 parts pineapple juice to 1 part of the Scotch Bonnet & Lemon pickling liquid used for the pineapple, enough to cover the pork
• 2 chunky garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• A good pinch of salt and ideally freshly ground black pepper

 Pickled pineapple salsa

• 400 ml pickled pineapple, finely chopped
• A couple of tablespoons of the accompanying pickling liquid
• Half a red onion, finely chopped
• An adult handful of coriander, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt & pepper

 Smokey black beans

• 2 x 400 g cans of black beans
• 2 sizeable garlic cloves
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp smoked paprika

Method

Pickled produce

1. Pickle your produce by chopping up your onion, pineapple and jalapeño and submerging them in the pickling vinegar. Set aside for a few hours for the flavours to marinade. 

 Slow cooked pork & pineapple

1. Preheat oven to 140°C
2. Cut the pork shoulder into conveniently sized pieces for your cooking vessel and submerge in pineapple juice and pickling liquid you used for the pineapple
3. Finely chop the garlic, add to the pot alongside the honey and spices
4. Cover, place in the middle of the oven and cook for 5-8 hours, checking occasionally adding more water to keep the pork submerged until the last hour or so of cooking
5. If you would like pulled pork, use two forks to pull apart – for a more varied texture, leave as is

Pickled pineapple salsa

Method:

1. Chop everything and mix the ingredients in a bowl, salt & pepper to taste

Smokey black beans

1. Add the cumin seeds & garlic to a hot, lightly oiled pan and fry until nice and fragrant
2. Apply the beans and paprika, alongside a splash of water
3. Keep on heat for 5 minutes

Once everything is ready, assemble in tortillas. Serve with coriander, lime, sour cream and/or cheese (fatty dairy and acidic pickles compliments each other beautifully).

FAQ

How long should I pickle my produce for? 

Let your veggies pickle for at least 3 hours to allow the pickling vinegar flavouring to be absorbed into the produce. If you have enough time however, it would be preferable to leave your pickling subjects for a few days for best results!

Can you make these pulled pork tacos vegetarian?

One of the great things about these tacos for dinner parties is that you can easily substitute the pulled pork for shredded plant-based meat or a jackfruit replacement without changing it for everyone. Guests can easily assemble their own to suit their own dietary requirements.

Tips

Storage & meal prep

It’s easy to store elements of this recipe to serve up later. Simply keep your pickled produce submerged in the brine until you want to eat them. Transfer the pulled pork to freezer bags and allow them to thaw before reheating. The other elements can be easily prepped on the day.