Pork tacos, truck-style

You don’t have to take to the streets to get summer-time street food. Make your favorite food truck-fare right at home with this recipe for pork tacos: Tender shreds of pork shoulder topped with avocado pico de gallo on a warm corn tortilla and served with homemade salsa.

It’s a two-part recipe that combines a lot of ingredients, but it’s well worth the work.

TRUCK-STYLE PORK TACOS (Serves four, two tacos each)

Braised pork and homemade salsa

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 ¼ pound pork shoulder, boneless

Salt, pepper and garlic salt

5 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup white onion, chopped

1 cup water

1 Roma tomato, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro

1 large lime

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Season pork generously with salt, pepper and garlic salt, then brown for about 5 minutes on each side and remove from skillet. Add garlic and onion; simmer until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato and water, bring mixture to a boil. Return meat to skillet, then coat with lime juice and add rinds. Cover with a tight lid and simmer until thoroughly cooked and tender, about 40 minutes. Remove pork and let it rest for about 10 minutes, until it’s cool enough to shred by hand. Transfer the rest of the mixture to a bowl and serve with tacos as a salsa.

Avocado pico de gallo

¾ cup white onion, diced

5 Roma tomatoes, diced

2 large avocados, diced

2 large limes

1/8 to ¼ cup cilantro, chopped

4 radishes

8 corn tortillas

Corn tortilla chips

Combine onion, tomatoes, avocados and cilantro in a large bowl. Coat generously with lime juice and add rinds. Using a cheese grater, carefully shred radishes and set aside for a topping. In a new skillet, heat the tortillas until pliable, about 30 seconds on each side. Add shredded pork, top with avocado mixture and shredded radish. Serve with tortilla chips and homemade salsa.

Quick tip: Save avocado skins to serve salsa. It’s one less dish to do and makes your plate a little more fun.