Jerked Pulled Pork Wraps with Mango and Banana Relish

The LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) publishes a regular free magazine called Food & Drink and the latest issue included a recipe for jerked pork with a mango and banana relish that looked good. I really liked the sound of combining spicy pork with a cool and sweet mango and banana relish/salsa.

A while ago there was a really nice sale on a crockpot/slowcooker that I could not resist and I finally broke down and picked one up. I had been itching to try the slow cooker out and since I don't have access to a barbecue I thought that I would change the original recipe up a bit and do a slow cooked pulled pork version of the jerked pork. The crockpot worked great! I pretty much just rubbed the jerk seasoning paste all over the pork and put it into the crockpot on low heat and let it cook for 8 hours completely unattended. After it was done cooking the pork was perfectly fall apart tender and it took almost no effort to shred the pork. Other than the perfectly cooked pork with no constant supervision, the thing that I liked most about the cock pot was that it generated almost no external heat. Normally I would try to avoid any slow roasting in the oven during the summer as my apartment would be stiflingly hot by the end of the day. With the slow cooker I will be able to enjoy pulled pork sandwiches, tacos al pastor, carnitas, etc. all summer long.

The jerked pulled pork wraps with mango and banana relish were so good! The pork was nice and tender and the sweet mango and banana relish perfectly balanced the spicy jerk seasoning. Every mouthful was an amazing combination spicy heat and the relief of cool and refreshing sweetness.

I tried making my own jerk marinade a while ago and I really enjoyed it but since I have never had anything to compare it with I thought that this time I would use a store bought seasoning to try. The store bought jerk seasoning was good but it definitely lacked the depth of flavour that the home made marinade had had. I think that the next time that I make this, and there will certainly be a next time, I will take the time to make the jerk marinade from scratch. In that case I would change the recipe to marinate the pork in the marinade over night and then place both the pork and the marinade into the slow cooker to cook. After the pork was done cooking I would then reduce the marinade and pork drippings into a spicy sauce.

Jerked Pulled Pork Wraps with Mango and Banana Relish

(makes 6+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 2 1/2 pound pork butt
2 tablespoons jerk seasoning paste
1 batch mango and banana relish (see below)
12+ large tortillas (lightly toasted/warmed)

Directions:
1. Rub the jerk seasoning all over the pork.
2. Place the pork into the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 8 hours.
3. Remove the pork from the slow cooker, let cool and shred with a pair of forks.
4. Place the pork back into the liquid in the slow cooker and cook, without the lid, until the liquid has reduces to a thick sauce, about 20 minutes.
5. Assemble wraps with pulled pork, jerk spice reduction to taste and mango and banana relish.

Mango and Banana Relish

Ingredients:
2 large mangoes (peeled, stoned and cut into small pieces)
2 bananas (peeled and cut into small pieces)
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1/4 cup red onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)

Directions:
1. Mix everything.

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