Slow-Cooked Pork
Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton at Home, 1994, Warner Books

"The secret of this richly seasoned and aromatic dish is long slow cooking.
As the flavors meld, the meat becomes so tender it literally falls apart. Our kids
like this because it reminds them of Mexican fast food."

 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt, trimmed of fat,
and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 large white onion, cut into eighths
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
3 thyme sprigs, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup water
12 flour tortillas (6 inches each)

In a heavy 12-inch skillet or shallow pan sauté the bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all the fat and return 3 tablespoons to the pan. Add the pork to the pan with the bacon fat, and toss with cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Over high heat brown the meat well on all sides. Cook in batches
if necessary, as the meat will not brown well when crowded.
In a small saucepan stir together the vinegar and honey, bring to a boil over medium heat, and reduce to 1/2 cup. Pour over the meat in the pan and add the onion, garlic, red pepper, jalapeño, and thyme. Scraping the bottom of the pan, mix all the ingredients together, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes. The meat should be tender and caramelized, with
only a little liquid left in the pan.
Remove from the heat and pull apart into smaller chunks with 2 forks.
Serve in warmed flour tortillas topped with tomatoes, avocado, cilantro
and jalapeño. Serves 6.