Smash Dumpling Tacos
Ground pork pressed thin into a tortilla and seared filling-side down. Dumpling seasoning, taco format.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 74
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Ground wild pork | 2 lb | ground pork shoulder works if you have no hog |
|---|---|---|
| White wine vinegar | 1 tbsp | |
| Soy sauce | 2 tbsp | carry in a small squeeze bottle |
| Hot sauce | 1 tbsp | |
| Green onions | 1/2 cup, chopped | chop extra for topping |
| Garlic cloves | 3, minced | |
| Fresh ginger | 1 tbsp, grated | |
| Kosher salt | 1 tsp | |
| Street taco flour tortillas | 12 small | |
| Cole slaw mix | 3 cups | |
| Ponzu sauce | 1/4 cup | for drizzling at the end |
| Cooking oil | 2 tbsp |
Method
- Mix the pork with the vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce, green onion, garlic, ginger, and salt in a bowl or a zip bag. Work it just until the seasoning is even.
- Put a rounded tablespoon of the meat on a tortilla and press it flat with the back of a spoon, out to the edge. Thin is the point. Repeat until the meat is gone.
- Set a cast iron skillet over the fire or a grill grate and get it hot. Add a little oil.
- Lay the tacos in meat-side down. Cook three to four minutes until the pork is browned and cooked through, then flip for thirty seconds to warm and blister the tortilla.
- Top with slaw mix, extra green onion, and a drizzle of ponzu. Eat standing up, cook the next batch.
Wild hog grind is lean and coarse, which makes it bad at holding a meatball shape and good at this. Pressed thin against the tortilla, the meat gets full contact with the pan and cooks in three or four minutes with a real crust. The tortilla steams from the fat underneath, so it never dries out on a hot skillet.
This is cooler food, not pack food. The meat has to stay cold, so it is a car camp or basecamp dinner. Mix the seasoning into the pork at home and freeze it flat: it chills the cooler on day one and is ready to press on day two. Everything else on the list is shelf-stable except the slaw.
Packing
Season the meat at home and carry it frozen in a flat zip bag at the bottom of the cooler. It thaws over a day and doubles as an ice block. Tortillas, slaw mix, ponzu, and green onions ride on top.
Variations
- Ground venison works, but it is lean. Add a couple tablespoons of oil to the mix or it will dry out.
- No slaw mix? Shredded cabbage keeps for days in a cooler and costs less.
- Skip the ponzu and use soy sauce cut with a squeeze of lime.
https://realtree.com/recipes/timber-2-table/wild-pig-smash-dumpling-tacos