Pork Dumpling Smash Tacos

I am such a sucker for fusion recipes. Tacos are eaten, probably 45 of the 52 Tuesdays each year in my house. And no one wants to eat the same taco over and over. So, I am constantly thinking about different flavor profiles that I can turn into a taco. This time around I took the flavors of the classic pork dumpling and turned it into a taco using the smash taco concept. Pork Dumpling Smash Tacos is going to blow your families mind for sure.

While you can totally buy ground pork (not sausage), I prefer to buy the whole pork tenderloin for much less per pound and process it myself. We cut half of it for pork chops and then grind the other half with a meat grinder into 1.5 lb portions. It saves us a ton of money. You can also decide the amount of grind on the meat – coarse to fine. I prefer a course grind so that when I mix it with my seasoning, it does become a total mushy mess.

You will need a burger press of some sort to be successful at this smash taco method. You need to be able to impose an even pressure over the mounds of meat on each tortilla to make sure you press is out in an even layer to insure proper cooking. If you do not have a burger press you can also use a plate that is slightly larger than the tortilla. Just be careful that you are providing even pressure. Another important part of smash taco success is parchment paper. You will need it to layer up your pressed meat/tortillas because you should make all of them before you start to cook any of them.

When it comes to the toppings – I went simple with some cucumbers, green onions, sweet chili sauce and sesame seeds. You could go a little different and do an Asian slaw, maybe a diakon slaw or maybe Teriyaki sauce. For that matter you could also go for some different types of ground meat as well – chicken or beef would be tasty too. If you pick chicken, you will want to cook just a little longer to insure the meat is absolutely cooked through. Play with it and enjoy.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Pork Dumpling Smash Tacos

A true fusion of a classic pork dumplings and a smash taco, you are going to love all this flavor.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian, Tex-Mex

Keyword asian tacos, cucumber, ground pork, ground pork recipes, pork dumpling, pork tacos, smashtacos, sweet chili sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Equipment

• 1 Burger Press
• 1 2oz (#16) Food Scoop
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

• 18 Street Taco Sized Flour Tacos
• 3 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 English Cucumber diced
• 3 stalks Green Onion chopped
• 1 cup Sweet Chili Sauce
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds

For the Ground Pork

• 1½ lb Ground Pork
• 1 tbsp Fresh Grated Ginger
• 1 tbsp Fresh Grated Lemongrass
• 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 Large Egg beaten
• 1 cup Panko Crumbs
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 stalk Green Onion finely chopped

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, add ingredients for ground pork mixture. Thoroughly combine.
• Lay out a piece of parchment paper larger enough to lay out 6 tortillas. Use the food scoop to put a portion of pork mixture into the center of each tortilla. Cover with another piece of parchment. Use a burger press to spread the pork over the top of each tortilla. Repeat remaining tortillas and pork mixture.
• In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add sesame oil. Once hot, start frying each tortilla starting with the pork side. Let cook for 3-4 minutes then flip over and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining tortillas.
• Top each smashtacos, add a portion of cucumbers, green onions, sweet chili sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.