Thursday, May 10, 2012

Baked BBQ Pork Taquitos


Ever since last winter, these baked chicken taquitos have been a perennial favorite in our house.  I always have a few in the freezer to cook up for a last minute lunch, and Joey gets really excited whenever they're on the menu (which, according to him, is not often enough).  Every time I make them, I start thinking up other variations.

It just so happens that we have several pounds of pulled pork in the freezer at any given time, so it only seemed natural to marry the two.  Kind of like that friends episode where Joey has to choose between a big tub of jam and the hot girl at the Xerox place:  put your hands together, my friend.  Put your hands together.  Joey said he liked these even better than the original chicken taquitos, and dare I say I agreed?

So here's the rundown on what I did:  I used pulled pork instead of chicken, but I think chicken would work just as well here.  I know I'm always looking for ways to use leftover meat, and this is a great solution.  I used cream cheese as the binder, just as in the original recipe, but I would love to try ranch dressing next time.  then I used bbq sauce instead of salsa, and seasoned the mixture with spices that I would use for pulled pork:  paprika, brown sugar, mustard, etc.  Baked up until they are perfectly crispy, then dipped in a  combo of ranch dressing and bbq sauce, these were pretty much perfection.

I still have a few more taquito variations of my sleeve, but it's going to be hard to stray from these and the chicken ones from here on out.... I suppose that somehow I'll manage ;-)

Baked BBQ Pork Taquitos
inspired by these Baked Chicken Taquitos (which are from Our Best Bites)

  • 3 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature (reduced-fat is fine)
  • 1/3 cup bbq sauce
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp chile powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
  • 1/2 tsp mustard powder
  • 1/2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbs minced fresh cilantro or parsley
  • hot sauce (optional)
  • 2 cups shredded or chopped cooked pork or chicken
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
  • 8-10 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
  • cooking spray
  • Ranch Dressing and/or BBQ Sauce, for serving
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the bbq sauce, paprika, garlic powder, mustard, brown sugar, liquid smoke, chile powder, red pepper flakes, cilantro, scallions, onion, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt.  Fold in the pork and cheese.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Add hot sauce if you like things spicy!

Working 3-4 tortillas at a time, stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel.  Cook 30 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and pliable. 

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly.  Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown.  Serve with bbq sauce and ranch dressing for dipping.


15 comments:

Amy (Savory Moments) said...

Yum, these look very tasty and a perfect finger food. Love the homemade BBQ sauce, too.

test it comm said...

These sound really tasty!

Emily @ She Makes and Bakes said...

I love this variation!

Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake said...

These sound amazing! I've been meaning to try taquitos and I love anything barbecue!!

Delia said...

I'm all "why didn't I think of that!" This sound great and I'll be trying this next week.

Julie @ Table for Two said...

i haven't eaten lunch yet and these are calling my name. LOVE bbq pork and in a taquito? even better!! see you Tuesday :)

Joanne said...

I always seem to have mexican flavors on the brain lately (I think you're rubbing off on me) and I really should turn leftovers into taquitos more! So fun.

Anonymous said...

how much cheese???

Pamela said...

Ohhhh, you smart woman, you! I've got tons of leftover carnitas in the freezer and am SO going to make taquitos with it. Brilliant! :)

Jessica said...

I am very seriously wondering why the heck I haven't thought of this combination before! BBQ is one of my favorite flavors, and we absolutely loved the regular chicken version. Like you said, put your hands together! Making these this week!

Anonymous said...

These will be on my menu next month! My husband loves BBQ sauce so these should please everyone! I just made a ground beef version with salsa verde and cream cheese, taco seasoning, scallions, and cheddar cheese. Delicious! Like an easier-to-eat taco!

ErinsFoodFiles said...

What a fun adaption!

Anonymous said...

I made these on Thursday and they were wonderful! I did have a lot of leftover filling though. I filled all 10 tortillas that I bought for this recipe plus used 6 that I already had on hand and still had enough left to probably fill another 5. Loved the flavors and look forward to seeing how they reheat from the freezer. Thanks for the recipe!

Unknown said...

I made these last night and they were amazing!

Stephanie D. said...

Does the filling has a heavy taste of cream cheese? My youngest son is not a big fan, but gosh, I would like to try these.

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