Slow Cooked Shredded Pork Shoulder Tacos

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Slow Cooked Shredded Pork Shoulder Tacos

Get ready to spice things up with these delicious Shredded Pork Shoulder Tacos! They’re super easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. The sweet touch of brown sugar and the acidity of lime perfectly balance the heat from the chipotle peppers, bringing you that awesome smoky flavor chipotle peppers are known for. A yummy choice for taco night! And don’t forget, any leftovers can be transformed into delicious nachos, topped over fresh salads or mouthwatering chipotle bowls throughout the week. Enjoy every bite!

*You can slow cook the pork in a Dutch oven or a crockpot during the day and have the whole meal ready in under 20 minutes when it’s time to eat.

Ingredients (Pork Prep):

3-5 lb. pork shoulder

1 small yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

Pork Tacos

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 chipotle peppers plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce, from 1 can chipotles in adobo 

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cumin

Juice of 1 lime

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Small flour tortillas

Prepping the pork for multiple recipes

1. Drop 3 tbsp of butter into a Dutch oven over med-high heat
2. Pat off excess moisture on pork with a paper towel. Removing excess moisture is what helps give the pork a great sear. Season pork with salt and pepper on all sides and carefully place it in the Dutch oven with the melted butter
3. Brown on all sides. Remove pork and drop heat to medium. Add onion. Cook 3-5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add garlic to the pot and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly
4. Deglaze (the technique of adding a liquid to a hot pan after searing or cooking food to dissolve and release the browned bits, AKA fond, stuck to the bottom) the pot with 1 cup of water or, for extra flavor, a dry white wine. Be sure to carefully scrape off browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
5. Once most of the liquid has evaporated, place the pork shoulder back in the Dutch oven. Pour 4 cups of water (you can also use chicken or vegetable broth) into the Dutch oven and turn the heat to high. Bring to boil, drop down to simmer and cover with a lid. Cook until pork easily pulls apart with two forks, about 3-4 hours
6. Shred pork. Cooked pork will last up to 3 days when stored properly in the fridge, should you not use it all for this recipe. This pork is also wonderful for my Simple Pork Shoulder Rigatoni

Directions for Tacos

1. Warm a skillet over medium heat with 2 tbsp of olive oil
2. Add yellow onion, cook 2-3 minutes until onion is softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add chipotle peppers with adobo sauce (you can rough chop these on a cutting board before adding to skillet if you would like – WASH YOUR HANDS after handling these peppers), brown sugar, cumin, lime juice and 1/2 cup water. Heat the sauce through, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
4. Add shredded pork and cilantro. Simmer all together for 10 minutes, up to an hour on low heat for even more flavor. Be sure to stir occasionally. Check for seasoning. Heat tortillas in a separate skillet or warm in low-temp oven on baking sheets.

Serve with Mexican corn, cornbread or Mexican rice.

TIPS

-Simple is best here since the pork has so much flavor. Top tacos with Cotija cheese or Monterey Jack cheese and shredded lettuce. Pour sauce from the skillet over pork instead of taco sauce.

-Mix a couple of tablespoons of sour cream with the zest of a lime for a refreshing flavor addition.

Discover my favorite crockpot and essential kitchen basics by visiting my Amazon store

If you’re looking for more pork recipes, give these a try

Simple Pork Shoulder Rigatoni