Flying Pig Smoked Chicken Tacos (kinda)

I have been fascinated by these crazy fusion food taco trucks popping up all over the country. LA, Austin, NYC, basically everywhere but Anchorage. They combine ingredients, cultures, and cooking styles in ways that surprise and delight.

Well I was looking for an out of the ordinary kind of taco and came across this recipe from the Flying Pig Taco Truck. Smoked chicken, a crunchy slaw, lots of herbs, this was right up my alley.

Now while my attempt was inspired by their recipe, I did not follow it to the letter. I started with the chicken. I had marinated some thighs in soy, chile sauce, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. I hot smoked them on my propane grill with apple wood chips. These took almost 2 hours and went through two pans of chips.

I skipped the whole braising liquid step suggested by Flying Pig. I am sure it is good but these thighs were just about perfect already and I saw no need to mess with them further.

Next up was the slaw. I used what was available to me. Red cabbage, carrot, red bell pepper, poblano peppers, Thai chiles, mint, cilantro, basil, orange juice, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, and  sugar.  I like a drier slaw so I went easy on the OJ and rice vinegar. Basically combine the ingredients and then season to your taste. Oh, I also tossed in some pistachios just because they were in the kitchen and I love them.

Last but not least was the green curry sauce. I basically followed their recipe. I sauteed grated ginger, Thai chiles, garlic, and lemongrass. That was then tossed in the food processer and buzzed up with cilantro, egg white, peanut oil (I didn’t have canola), rice wine vinegar, cumin, and just a little honey. Everything is put in the food processor except for the oil which is drizzled in slowly to form a smooth green sauce.

Now to assemble. I tried both soft yellow corn tortillas and also fried crispy white corn tortillas. I definitely preferred the crispy version. In the fusion spirit of these little snacks, I dressed them with sriracha.

These are definitely not a traditional taco. They are however absolutely delicious. Well worth a little effort.

~ by climbhighak on July 12, 2011.