Smoked Mopped Pork Collar Toastadas

Author

Tuffy Stone

Servings

3 to 6

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

Protein

25g/ per serving

This tostada brings together some of my favorite flavors in one bite. I take a beautifully marbled SRF pork collar, hit it with a bold celery seed rub, and smoke it low and slow. Along the way, it gets mopped with a tangy, buttery vinegar sauce—courtesy of my good friend and legendary pitmaster, Pat Burke. Once it’s tender, I pull the pork and stack it on a crispy tortilla with a crunchy dill slaw and a smoky, chipotle-packed Cool Smoke salsa. It’s got sweet, heat, crunch, and big BBQ depth. Simple to serve, hard to forget.

Ingredients

1 Kurobuta Pork Collar
Cool Smoke Salsa or Salsa of your choice
Coleslaw
6” Corn or Flour tortillas, fried or baked crisp

Pat's Mop

1 quart apple cider vinegar
¼ cup kosher salt
1/8 cup white pepper
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup hot sauce, your favorite brand
1/2 stick unsalted butter

Celery Seed Rub

½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder

Cool Smoke Salsa

1 (14 ½ ounce) can diced tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
1 (7 ounce) can chipotles in adobo sauce, sauce reserved
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 medium limes)
1 cup cilantro leaves, packed
½ cup red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ jalapeño, seeded and stemmed

Coleslaw

1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoon celery seeds
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 cups green cabbage, julienned
½ cup carrot, julienned
½ tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Directions

Pork Collar

Season the pork collar with a liberal coat of the celery seed rub all over the surface and let sit on a plate at room temperature for one hour.
When you are ready to cook, heat the smoker to 275ºF. Alternatively, heat the grill to 275ºF, using the two zone setup, with 5 to 6 chunks of your favorite wood, in addition to the charcoal or gas.
Place the pork collar in the smoker, or on the closed cool side of the two zone grill. Close the lid, and cook for 1 hour, then mop with Pat’s Mop to moisten. Continue to cook for 3 more hours, mopping the pork collar every 30 minutes. Wrap the pork collar in aluminum foil with a good topping of the mop and continue to cook until the pork collar is tender. The pork will get tender between 195ºF and 205ºF. Remove from the smoke and allow it to rest for about 1 hour.
Pull the pork collar in a bowl and dress with a little of Pat’s Mop. You can also season with a little of the celery seed to taste. Place a nice pile of the pulled pork collar on the crispy tortillas, top with slaw and a nice spoonful of the salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve.

Pat's Mop

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the vinegar, salt, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and butter. Whisk until the butter melts.
Bring the pot to a simmer, whisking constantly, then immediately remove from the heat and pour the mop into a lidded heatproof container.
Keep warm until you are ready to use; or cool the sauce completely at room temperature, and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.

Celery Seed Rub

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Cool Smoke Salsa

In a blender, add one chipotle pepper, one teaspoon adobo sauce, and all remaining ingredients. Puree for 1 minute until smooth. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use. It will keep, refrigerated, for 5 days.

Coleslaw

You can serve this chilled or at room temperature—it tastes good either way. If you make it the day before, don’t add the dressing—the slaw will wilt. Just refrigerate both separately. For crunchy coleslaw, you may add the dressing just before serving, or a maximum of 1 to 2 hours before serving, and toss again just before plating.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, celery seeds, salt, and pepper and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, apples, and dill. Add half the mayonnaise dressing and toss to combine. Add more if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve either chilled or at room temperature.

Recipe Note

Author Bio

Dubbed “The Professor,” Tuffy Stone is a legendary pitmaster known for his precision and dedication to the science of smoke. He’s earned Grand Champion titles at nearly every major barbecue competition, including the American Royal, Memphis in May, and the Jack Daniel’s Invitational. A Barbecue Hall of Famer, Tuffy is also the author of Cool Smoke and a former judge on BBQ Pitmasters.