Banana-wrapped pork

Yesterday was Bill’s last day of working for the man. The man being the sweet but bossy owner of the Garage, a high-end Japanese car repair shop. After almost five years, Billy called it quits. To celebrate we invited our best friends over for a party with beer and pork. Pork cooked at low temperatures for many hours. I went to the garden and cut two big banana leaves. Then I rubbed a pork loin with cumin, chipotle, salt, chilis, lime and honey. I wrapped the loin in the leaves and put it in the oven. In a cast iron dutch oven, I crammed a rack of spare ribs with pineapple, roasted tomatoes and onion, and put that next to the banana leaf experiment. Then I went to bed. In the morning, the whole apartment smelled sweet and spicy and porky.
When the guests arrived at 7, I shredded the spare ribs, unwrapped the banana leaves and fried up tortillas. People pulled strips of tender white meat from the loin and dredged it in the cumin/fat drippings and tossed it on the tortilla with some onion and cilantro. We raised our dripping tacos in toast to Bill. Here’s to quitting.