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Hi, I’m Catherine.
Mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.
Crock Pot Pulled Pork Tacos
Crock Pot Pulled Pork Tacos are easy to make, utterly scrumptious and will up your taco game to levels you only could have imagined were possible.
Grandparents are the best! Thank goodness for the days when I'm totally overwhelmed and they come to pick Kenya up and take him on an outing. It's been quite a while since my dad hung out with a 3 1/2 year old, but he's really stepped up to the plate and surprised me with his love and time playing with his grandson. There have been adventures going to see trains, the zoo and even to the golf course (I think I know who has more fun on that outing).
What always accompanies these little jaunts is a meal or two. Quite often when Kenya comes home he'll have in his hand a half eaten cheese sandwich on the most dreaded, whitest bread I've ever seen. There have been trips to the car wash where I've later found a pack of half-eaten chewing gum or a 16 ounce bag of sugar coated gum drops (I let out a little squeal of terror when I discovered those).
When Kenya came home 2 weeks ago holding a pulled pork taco, I looked at my dad as if he had two heads. "Really Dad, you got a 3 year old a pulled pork taco"? I figured there was no way that Kenya would ever want something like that, but my dad had reassured me that this was Kenya's doing, he had ordered it on his own (oh yeah, blame the kid)! To my amazement though, Kenya sat down at our table and chowed the entire thing in no time flat. He even asked if we could go get another one!
This all leads me to my obsession with recreating the pulled pork from our local taco stand (which is amazing, by the way). What do they put in it to make it taste so good? I finally realized it isn't the ingredients so much as it's the WAY they cook their pork. Soft, tender, juicy, it must take hours to get that "fall off the bone" texture.
I don't know whether they use a slow cooker or just a cast iron pan in the oven, but I do know that I've now made this dish several times over the past two weeks and I can't keep the leftovers around long enough to enjoy them for myself they disappear so fast. The best part is there is next to no work for me except to enjoy my family and the final results!
Thank you to all the grandparents in our lives that are not only nurturing and caring for our precious little ones, but hopefully turning them on to foods and adventures that we may not always have the time to ourselves.
Crock Pot Pulled Pork Tacos (Serves 6-8)
Prep Time: 0 mins Cook Time: 0 mins
egg free
nut free
dairy free
gluten free
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 3-1/2 to 4 pound pork shoulder, rinsed and cleaned
- 1 16-ounce jar mild salsa
- 1 package corn or flour tortillas
Preparation
1. Place the first 7 ingredients in a bowl and mix.
2. Place the pork shoulder in the Crock Pot (slow cooker) and rub all over with the seasoning mixture. Pour the jar of salsa around the pork shoulder.
3. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.
4. Remove the pork to a plate and using 2 forks, shred into bite size pieces (I like to remove the visible pieces of fat).
5. Pour a scoop or two of the juices into the pork and stir to combine (If you want to remove the excess fat from the juice you will use, pour it into a cup and refrigerate it until the fat solidifies and can be easily scooped out. Only the juices will remain).
Accompaniments
Salsa, Big Kid Guacamole, cilantro, diced onion, shredded cheese, sour cream
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40 comments
I LIKE YOUR WEBSITE VERY MUCH CAN I MAKE THEM WITH BEEF?
Thank you, thank you! Totally delicious and very easy for my little one to eat. I never would have thought to throw pork shoulder in a crock pot like this. Weelicious hasn't let me down yet! x
Do you think that it would be okay to use just the pork and make a mixture similar to a tuna sandwich, with the pork, mayo, pickles, boiled eggs? I can't eat tuna but miss the tuna sandwiches that I used to have and was trying to find a way to recreate it without using fish.
I don't have a slow cooker- do you think I could cook it in the oven? Any ideas on time/temperature?
I haven't tested the pork in an oven, I would cut it in half and put it in the oven at 300 for 8-10 hours covered or until it starts to fall apart. I have not tested it and it also depends on the oven so if I were you, I would check on the meat every hour or so. Sorry, if this doesn't help. If you test it, let me know how they come out.
You haven't described a scneice fair project. See the best answer at the first reference. For someone who takes the scneice fair seriously, see the second reference.
I made this for supper tonight. It was wonderful! And all day my house smelled so good! My husband and I kept talking about if it tasted half as good as it smelled, it was going to be great! It tasted just as good as it smelled, and was easy to prepare.
could you make this with chicken?
yes but the cooking times will not be the same - you can season the chicken with the same seasonings.
I used the spices in this recipe for regular beef tacos in a pinch and it worked out great!
This recipe is fabulous! I get rave reviews every time I make them and it makes the house smell great.
This recipe has become one of our favorite & staple meals in our house. Kiddies (3 & 1.75 yr olds) & adults love it!!! TY!!!
Excellent job. I've bookmarked you!
Can you cook on high? And for how long?
Honestly, this is a type of meat that the longer you cook it, the better it is. So long and slow is the best way to do it.
This is hands-down my husband's FAVORITE dish that I can cook. He's a chef at a 4-star restaurant and I'm usually intimidated to cook dinner, even after all these years. When I make this one, however, his face lights up like a little kid and he eats 3 or 4 helpings per sitting. The toddler LOVES it but the 12 year old \"doesn't care for the texture\". Oh well, can't please them all!
I was wondering if I used 2 smaller pork shoulders that still equal about 3.5-4 lbs of meat, would that change the amount of time I have to cook it, if so how much longer or shorter? Thanks.
Added about a 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder to the rub, and it was fantastic!
Absolutely loved this dish...especially my hubby. We will definitely be having this again soon.
Made this yesterday for dinner and it turned out awesome!!
We all loved it and my father in law said it was the best pork he ever tasted!!
I just found this site about 2 weeks ago and i'm now obsessed with it! I have made so many great recipes so far and they have all been a hit. Wish i found it sooner. So excited! Truly inspiring:)
This looks great. I have a 1.9 lb. pork loin I'd like to use—what would you recommend for cooking times on low in the crock pot? Thanks!
Ok, so this may be a dumb question, but I am wondering if I should use ground oregano or dried oregano leaves/flakes? Does it make a difference? I only have the dried oregano leaves in my spice cabinet but I'm guessing I should use the ground oregano for some reason. Thanks for your help! The recipe looks delicious and I love your site!
Use the flakes! No dumb questions! :)
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I made this with a pork loin roast and cooked it for 9 hours on low. I loved the flavor but the meat seemed a bit dry. Would the meat have been moister if I had used a pork shoulder? I've never cooked a pork shoulder and I'm not really sure where to get one, or if it would really make that much difference in the recipe. What do you think?
Pork shoulder, or pork butt, is a different cut than loin and it is more tender. If you're going to use a leaner cut of meat then you need to cook it for less time. It was probably dry because it was overcooked!
I used this recipe with a pork sirloin tip roast and cooked it on high for 5 hours and it came out perfect.
I made this for my son's taco bar at his 2nd birthday party. It was a hit. There is something about the seasoning - and I think the cut of meat that made it so delicious. It wasn't 3.5 pounds but 6.5 and it did include the bone - which I left in for cooking.
I shared my experience here at my blog:
http://www.stayin-afloat.com/p/slow-cooker-pork-tacos.html
Hello! For the crockpot pulled pork recipe, do you think I could 'stretch' the recipe with a bag of soaked black beans and 4.44 lbs of pork shoulder? I like to find ways to stretch my meat since 1. We get it all from our local organic farm and it is a little pricey and 2. I am in a cooking club and once a month make a 4 serving meal for 6 others and then we swap and I don't think I could get 10+ lbs of pork shoulder from my farm without selling my first born!
I think that work out okay. Maybe add already cooked black beans to it towards or at the end of cooking? The beans might soak up too much liquid during cooking if you add them raw.
A miracle has taken place in our home!! Our picky eater loved this!!! 3 for 3 on this one! All 3 kids ages 1 to 7 said yes to seconds! Thank you!!
All 8 of us loved it! TY very much!
So great to hear!
osszegyült a nyál a számba es nagyot nyeltem üresen
Look great, tasty!!!
Thanks!
This is a repeat!!! I did not tweak the recipe and it was so good. So easy. The salsa cooks down and the pork is so flavorful.
This is a repeat!!! I did not tweak the recipe and it was so good. So easy. The salsa cooks down and the pork is so flavorful.
Hi Catherine ! Can this be made in an instant pot and if so, what setting and time ?
Thanks !??
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