Millan cooks by instinct, so his recipe is a little vague. Home-style cooking at it's best is done by eyeballing ingredients, so have fun playing with the proportions and making his recipe your own.
Click through for Millan's recipe and serving suggestions.
Pork Shank Tacos with Mango Salsa (Serves 2)
What you'll need:
2 medium Pork shanks
Carrots, peeled
Garlic
1 Red onion
Veal or pork stock
Annatto paste (achiote)
1 cup Sour orange juice
Corn tortillas
Cotija cheese
Thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cilantro
2 Limes
4 Habanero peppers (2 for braising and 2 for salsa)
1 Mango
Banana leaves
What you'll do to make the pork shanks:
1. Season both pork shanks with ample salt and pepper and grill them off over a charcoal grill.
2. When the pork shanks have enough coloration pull aside and cool, in order to rub them evenly with the annato paste.
2. Dice carrots and onions to a medium size, smash a few cloves of garlic, and add all to a deep, oven-safe pot large enough to fit both shanks.
3. Cover the shanks with stock and add about one cup of sour orange juice. Then, add thyme and peppers.
4. Cover pot with banana leaves and tin foil, and then braise in a preheated oven at 275˚F for 6 hours or until meat is fork tender.
What you'll do to make the mango salsa:
1. Caramelize red onions and garlic, and then add some fresh mangos.
2. When the mango pulp has reduced add fresh habanero peppers, salt, and pepper.
3. Allow mixture to cool, and then puree in blender until smooth.
4. Garnish with cilantro and fresh mangos.
Putting it all together:
1. Dice remaining red onion, crumble the cotija cheese, and cut the limes into wedges.
2. Heat corn tortillas.
3. Assemble a taco with pork pulled from the shank, mango salsa, red onions and crumbled cotija cheese. Squeeze the juice of one lime wedge on top and enjoy!
This is part three of our Chef Chat with Millan. Check out parts one and two to find out more about why he wants to start roasting whole pigs at Canteen and the reason he wouldn't eat tomatoes growing up.
