My good friend Beth asked me the other day for a easy, inexpensive yet festive menu idea for a weekend party. Now, I know folks say that you can’t ever achieve quick, cheap and good – and they are right. This recipe is very tasty and cheap (pork shoulder is always on sale) but takes time. This recipe requires some time but thanks to some advise from my sister you can literally sleep and cook at the same time! The infomercial line “set it and forget” keeps ringing in my head. This recipe was adapted from an article in Real Simple.

Pulled Pork Tacos

Makes plenty for a party of 6 to 10 with leftovers.

• 5ish pound of pork shoulder (aka Boston Butt)
• 1 small jar of apricot jam
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 4 jalapenos, diced (feel free to adapt for personal heat levels)
• 2 small red onions, chopped
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place chopped onions and jalapenos in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the pork shoulder on top of the peppers and onions. Season liberally with cumin, salt and pepper. Feel free to give the meat a good massage. Top with apricot jam.

Cook the meat for 6 to 8 hours – or until falling apart. If you trust your oven (and have adequate fire and carbon monoxide alarms), just pop it in the oven at bedtime and it will be done in the morning. Pull the meat apart with two forks or two clean hands.

Serve the pulled pork  buffett style with small corn or flour tortillas with any fixins’ you prefer. These are my favorites:

• torn cilantro leaves
• lime wedges
• sharp cheddar cheese
• good salsas (I buy mine in many varieties like hot and verde from the local Mexican restaurant)
• sour cream
• an shredded iceberg salad with chopped tomatoes and dressed with red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper
• corn chips