This football season, we’ve partnered with Taste of the NFL and their favorite tailgating experts to share great game-day recipes for an even greater cause. Join these chefs in raising awareness and funds for hunger relief across the country by taking the Kick Hunger Challenge with your favorite football team and making a donation to their local food bank. And be sure to check PEOPLE.com every Thursday for a new game day recipe from your favorite celebrity chefs. Here, Julian Media of Toloache restaurants shares his recipe for quesadilla de higos.
This quesadilla is made with black mission figs, pork carnitas, chihuahua cheese, queso fresco and chipotle bbq sauce. It’s a great dish for tailgating because it is simple to make, and can be made in large quantities.
The pork can be replaced with chicken, or beef, even leftovers from the night before. It is a refreshing take on a quesadilla, which offers variety while tailgating.
The open-face aspect almost makes this fresh quesadilla like a pizza, which makes an American classic fun and new, and can be cut into slices. This dish is perfect for any tailgating party, as the quesadilla can be made prior to the party and dressed during, or it can even be a perfect task for the kids, to let them make their own quesadilla, while everyone else enjoys a few laughs and drinks.
Pulled Pork Quesadillas with Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Serves 4
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For the chipotle BBQ sauce:
½ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon chipotle puree
1 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. yuzu juice, or lemon juice
½ tsp. sherry vinegar
½ tsp. honey
1 tsp. kosher salt
For the pulled pork:
3 lb. pork shoulder
2 whole oranges, quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 bottle beer
1 can evaporated milk
1 tbsp. Mexican oregano
Kosher salt to taste
For the quesadilla:
4 6-in. flour tortillas
2 cups Chihuahua cheese, shredded, or gouda cheese
2 fresh figs, thinly sliced
4 tbsp. chipotle-BBQ sauce
¼ cup Mexican crema
¼ cup chives, finely chopped
Chipotle-BBQ sauce:
Whisk the all of the ingredients together in a bowl until evenly mixed and salt to taste.
Pulled pork:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Place pork in a large roasting pot along with the other ingredients. Fill the pot halfway with water and place in oven to roast for 2-hours, or until skin is crispy and pig is cooked thoroughly.
3. Remove from oven and let the meat rest for 10 minutes, then shred the meat by hand.
4. In a sauté pan over low heat, combine the shredded pork and chipotle-BBQ sauce and let simmer until the pork is well marinated with the sauce.
Assembling the quesadillas:
1. Place the flour tortillas on a sheet pan. Top each tortilla with ½ cup Chihuahua cheese. Then place a generous portion of the pulled pork, followed by 1 tablespoon of the cooked chipotle-BBQ sauce from the sauté pan. Finish with the fig slices. Bake in a 350ºF oven for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
2. Remove from oven and drizzle crema over the quesadilla and garnish with the chopped chives.
3. Cut each quesadilla into 4 triangular slices.