Spicy Barbeque Pork Chop Tacos with Chunky Avocado Salsa

Spicy Barbeque Pork Chop Tacos with Chunky Avocado Salsa

Last night I planned to make simple grilled pork chops using my Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce but number one son, Noah, had a yen for tacos. No problem, we combined the two into a very delicious dinner; compromise is what brings family harmony after all.

As the expression goes here in Newfoundland, we all went "face and eyes into it"! We had both hard and soft shell tacos on hand and they were both fantastic. We added some simple homemade chunky avocado salsa to the tacos too which made them even better. I'm always up for a quick, easy dinner idea and this was a particularly good one that I know we will be making again soon.

Spicy Barbeque Pork Chop Tacos with Chunky Avocado Salsa

Serves 4-6

Grill 

8 center loin pork chops

In the last minutes of grilling brush on a good spicy barbeque sauce. You can find my recipe for the Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce that I used here.

Let the chops rest covered in aluminum foil for 5 minutes before thinly slicing them across the grain.

Add the sliced pork to either warm soft or hard shell taco shells and top with the salsa.

Chunky  Avocado Salsa

Coarsely chop

2 small tomatoes

1 small red pepper

1 avocado

1/2 small red onion

Add

1 clove minced garlic

finely grated zest of one lime

juice of one lime

1 tbsp chipotle powder

1/2 finely minced jalapeño pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

season with salt and pepper

Toss together well.

Pineapple Ginger Salsa

Shown here with herb roasted pork tenderloin on a bed of basmati rice, this is a very versatile salsa that goes well with grilled chicken or fish. We also serve it with pan fried cod or on it's own with baked corn tortillas for a healthy party snack. Using fresh golden pineapple is essential to the sucess of this salsa; canned just won't cut it here!

Makes about 2 cups.

1 ½ cups fresh pineapple, diced small
1 clove minced garlic
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely chopped
½ red onion diced
2 green onions chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeño pepper
1 tsp salt
½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ red pepper diced small

Toss all ingredients together well in a glass bowl. Let stand for about 2 hours before serving, stirring occasionally.

Roasted Tomato and Grilled Corn Salsa

4 plum tomatoes diced
2 cloves minced garlic
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Toss all together in a 9x9 inch glass baking dish and roast for about 30 minutes tossing occasionally. Most of the liquid should be steamed off the bottom of the pan.

Remove from oven and add
½ a small red onion diced small
1 large roasted red pepper diced small
1 large roasted orange pepper diced small
1 minced jalopeno pepper (optional)
2 large ears grilled corn, removed from cob
Zest and juice of 1 lime
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1-2 tablespoons hot sauce

Salt and pepper to season

Toss all ingredients together and allow the salsa to sit, covered, in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.

Mango Lime Salsa

Makes about 2 cups.

1 large mango, peeled and diced small
1 clove minced garlic
Juice of one lime
Zest of one lime, finely chopped
½ red onion diced
1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeño pepper
1 tsp salt
½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ red pepper diced small

Toss all ingredients together well in a glass bowl. Let stand for about 2 hours before serving, stirring occasionally.