Smoked Pork Collar Tacos

By: Clint Cantwell

Spice up your next Taco Tuesday with these Smoked Pork Collar Tacos. Mexican spice rubbed pork shoulder, smoked until it’s falling apart tender then served on corn tortillas with pickled red onions and queso fresco.

Ingredients

Smoked Pork Collar Tacos

  • 2 tablespoons. brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon. ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon. Mexican oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon guajillo chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Mexican cinnamon
  • 1 Snake River Farms Kurobuta pork collar, approximately 4lbs. Buy Now
  • Pickled red onions
  • Queso fresco, crumbled
  • Corn tortillas, lightly toasted
  • Sliced avocado
  • Lime wedges

Smoked Pork Collar Tacos

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, black pepper, guajillo chili powder, and cinnamon and mix well.
Season the pork collar well with the dry rub mixture.
Wrap the seasoned pork collar well with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or overnight to allow the meat to absorb the flavors of the rub.
Preheat one charcoal chimney full of charcoal briquets. Place ashed over briquettes on one side of the bottom grate of a kettle grill to create a 2-zone cooking surface. Add 2-3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal, replace the top grill This Megrate, and cover the grill. Adjust bottom vents to maintain a temperature of 225-250 degrees.
Place the pork collar on the cool side of the grill as far from the charcoal as possible. Cover the grill, positioning the top vent directly above the pork collar.
Allow the pork collar to smoke for approximately 6 hours until it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees and remove it from the grill.
Allow the roast to rest for 20 minutes then shred or roughly chop.  
Serve the pork collar on toasted corn tortillas along with pickled red onions, queso fresco, avocado, and lime juice.