Try something new this St. Patrick's Day! With Chef Tom's Pork Belly Pastrami Quesatacos, cooked on a Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill, you'll be tantalizing your taste buds with an unforgettable, flavor-packed experience! Enjoy a unique, explosion of texture and taste in every bite. Make this celebration truly special and let the luck of the Irish come to you!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- The pastrami's own fat becomes the cooking fat for the cabbage. Crisping the diced pork belly pastrami first and then frying the cabbage and onion directly in that rendered fat builds a second layer of flavor before the beer even goes in.
- Beer reduces right into the cabbage, not around it. Pouring the Irish red ale over the cabbage and cooking until the liquid disappears concentrates the beer's flavor directly into the vegetables instead of leaving a separate sauce.
- Two cheeses do two different jobs. Melting Swiss American in the center for gooeyness while sprinkling Irish cheddar around the edges to crisp into a "skirt" gives the quesataco both a soft interior and a crunchy border.
- Mustard crema comes together in one whisk. Combining creme fraiche and Kozlik's Market Mustard is a simple two-ingredient dip that plays off the pastrami's tang without needing a longer recipe of its own.
Pork Belly Pastrami Quesatacos
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
595
Experience a truly unique St. Patrick's Day with the one-of-a-kind Pork Belly Pastrami Quesatacos from Chef Tom, cooked on the Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill! Treat your tastebuds to a flavor-packed explosion of texture and taste in each bite - a perfect way to bring the luck of the Irish to your celebration!
Ingredients
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3 cups pork belly pastrami, small dice
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9 oz (2 1/4 cup) Irish sharp cheddar cheese, grated
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12 slices Swiss American cheese
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12 corn tortillas
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Pork Fat
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Pork belly pastrami fat (cook the belly first, then fry the cabbage in it)
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2 cups red cabbage, sliced thin
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1/2 cup red onion, sliced thin
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Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
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1/4 cup Walnut River Warbeard Irish Red Ale
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1 cup Creme Fraiche
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1/4 cup Kozlik’s Market Mustard
Cabbage
Mustard Crema
Directions
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill to 450ºF set up with the diffuser plate removed and a Yoder Smokers Cast Iron Griddle installed (flat side up) over the fire box.
Cook the diced pork belly pastrami on the griddle. Remove when crispy around edges and lots of fat has rendered. Remove just the pork, leaving behind the pastrami pork fat.
Cook cabbage and onion in the pastrami fat. Season with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust. Cook until softened and crispy around edges, stirring occasionally. Then, pour the beer over the top and cook until all liquid is gone. Remove all from the griddle.
Combine the pastrami pork belly and cabbage and mix well.
Wipe the griddle clean with a towel. Melt a few tablespoons of Mangalista Pork Fat on the griddle. Lay out 6 tortillas on the griddle. Toast briefly (30-60 seconds) until they begin to bubble and puff a little. Flip the tortillas and immediately place one slice Swiss American cheese in the middle of each tortilla. Quickly sprinkle the Irish cheddar around the edges of the tortillas to form a crispy cheese skirt. Place about 1/4 cup of the pork and cabbage mix on one half of each tortillas. Fold the tortillas over the filling to make a taco. Toast on both sides until tortilla is crispy. Remove from the griddle and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Combine the creme fraiche and Kozlik’s Market Mustard and whisk.
Serve the warm Pork Belly Pastrami Quesatacos with the Mustard Crema for dipping.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why cook the cabbage in the pastrami's rendered fat instead of oil?
Using the fat left behind from crisping the pork belly pastrami carries that flavor directly into the cabbage and onion, building a second layer of savory depth instead of starting the vegetables in plain oil.
Why pour beer over the cabbage and cook it dry?
Reducing the Irish red ale until the liquid is gone concentrates its flavor directly into the cabbage, rather than leaving a separate pool of beer-flavored liquid in the pan.
Why use two different cheeses instead of just one?
Swiss American melts smoothly for a gooey center, while the Irish cheddar sprinkled around the edges crisps into a lacy border on the griddle — together they give the quesataco contrasting textures.
Why fold the tortilla over the filling instead of rolling it?
Folding creates the quesataco's signature half-moon shape and lets both sides toast evenly on the griddle, crisping the tortilla around the cheese and filling.
Can I make the mustard crema ahead of time?
Yes — it's just creme fraiche and mustard whisked together, so it holds well in the fridge if you want to prepare it before the rest of the recipe.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — a large cast iron griddle or skillet on a stovetop will replicate this technique closely; the Yoder setup is a convenience, not a requirement, since there's no live smoke involved here.
Recipe Highlights
Rendering fat for the cabbage: Cooking the cabbage and onion in fat left from the pork belly pastrami builds extra flavor into the vegetables before the beer reduction even starts.
Reducing beer into the cabbage: Cooking until the liquid fully disappears concentrates the beer's flavor directly into the vegetables rather than leaving it as a separate liquid.
Dual-cheese technique: Melting one cheese in the center and crisping another around the edges gives the quesataco both a soft interior and a crunchy cheese border.
The fold-and-toast method: Folding the tortilla over the filling and toasting both sides is what crisps the exterior evenly while sealing in the melted cheese and filling.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 1 quesataco
- per serving
- Calories
- 595
- Fat
- 35 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 19 grams
- Cholesterol
- 147 milligrams
- Sodium
- 1451 milligrams
- Carbs
- 28 grams
- Fiber
- 4 grams
- Sugar
- 2 grams
- Protein
- 43 grams
