To be honest, I have no idea if these are Korean at all. I made up the recipe and its based off a combination of how I make Korean BBQ Short Ribs and Chinese Take-Out Style Beef and Broccoli. Both of which are a huge hit with all the boys in this house.

In any case, last week I was exhausted, it was hot and I needed something to make for dinner and couldn't think of anything that didn't seem too heavy for such a hot day. I don't know about you, but I can't even think of eating meatloaf and mashed potatoes when its 90 degrees outside. Light meals like fish or salads sound refreshing - except I was also starving.

Chanel suggested some kind of tacos and we somehow talked ourselves into creating these absolutely delicious shredded pork tacos with an asian red cabbage slaw (thats a salad, right?). They came together really fast with a few ingredients tossed into the crock pot, set it, came back a few hours later and threw it all together! Instant dinner hit.

Korean Shredded Pork Tacos

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

4 lb pork loin
4 cups beef broth
10 oz. soy sauce
3 tbs. sesame oil
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tbs. finely chopped fresh garlic
12-16 small flour or corn tortillas
1 batch Asian Red Cabbage Slaw (Below)
1 batch Sriracha mayo (Below)

In the bowl of a large crock pot, whisk together all of the ingredients except the pork. Place the pork into the crock pot, turning it over a few times with tongs to coat the meat with the sauce. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 (all crock pots cook differently, so these times are a guide). The pork is done when its comes apart easily with a fork.

*I like to cut the large pork loin into a couple smaller pieces about halfway through cooking, I feel like it allows more of the flavor to get into every nook and cranny*

Remove the pork from the crock pot into a large mixing bowl, and using two forks or some tongs, pull the pork into shreds. Let the pork cool slightly before assembling tacos.

To make the tacos, spread some of the Sriracha mayo on the tortilla (I used about a tablespoon per taco), then about a 1/3 cup of pork and top with 1/4 cup of slaw. Obviously, make your taco with whatever proportions suite your taste. My husband hates vegetables so he went heavy on the pork and light on the slaw.

Asian Red Cabbage Slaw

3 cups chopped red cabbage (about 1/2 of a small head)
8-10 green onions, white and green parts sliced thin
2 cups shredded carrots (about 4-6 carrots, depending on size)
1/2 cup mayo
2-4 tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl, toss together the cabbage, green onions and shredded carrots. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayo, 2 tbs. of soy sauce, ginger, juice and zest. You will want to create a dressing that is thin enough to pour over the slaw, but thick enough to stick to the veggies and not just sit at the bottom of the bowl. Add more soy sauce or lime juice to thin it out, and more mayo to thicken it up. Taste it as you go along and adjust the seasoning to your preference (including the salt and pepper).

When the dressing is ready, pour it over the veggie mixture and toss together. I suggest covering the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerating the slaw for at least an hour (or up to six) before serving. The flavors really meld together with some time.

Srirarcha Mayo

Small jar of mayo
Small bottle of Sriracha

This is not complicated. Mix some Sriracha and some mayo together to taste and serve away. Some like it hot, some do not. Mix carefully.