Pulled Pork Tacos
Pulled Pork Tacos feature juicy, tender pulled pork piled high onto crispy, cheesy tortillas with all of your favorite toppings! My favorite easy slaw recipe is included. These are so perfect for summer parties, game days, and just as a fun weeknight dinner with the family.
If you’re a pulled pork lover, check out my easy recipes for the best pulled pork nachos and pulled pork sandwich.
Table of Contents
I’ve been making this pulled pork tacos recipe for years, and let me tell you – they don’t get old. In fact, my family requests them pretty regularly to this day! We all love pulled pork in any form, but tossing it onto a warm, cheesy tortilla with the best toppings may just be the very best way to serve it up.
Included below is also my recipe for a very simple cabbage slaw for tacos! It’s crisp, fresh as can be, and simply flavored with just a little bit of lime juice, sugar and salt. I like to keep my toppings flavorful, but also fairly neutral so they don’t overpower the savory pulled pork.
Speaking of the pulled pork… you won’t believe just how good this recipe is until you try it yourself. It’s cooked to tender, juicy perfection in the Instant Pot and is loaded with flavor! Onions, garlic, brown sugar, spices and more create the most mouthwatering balance of bold flavors in each bite.
Ingredient Notes
Pork – The best cut for making pulled pork is Boston butt. It has less fat on the outside and the fat is spread more throughout the muscle, making the meat more tender and juicy when slow cooked. Pork shoulder and pork butt actually both come from the shoulder part of the pig. The name “pork butt” can be confusing since it does not actually come from the rear of the animal. Both cuts are shoulder but one is the top part and the other is the bottom part.
Slaw – This simple cabbage slaw perfectly compliments the pulled pork without overpowering it! You can adjust the lime juice, salt and sugar in it to best fit your tastes.
Taco Tortillas – These can be corn or flour, whichever you prefer. Remember that if you need to keep it gluten free, use corn tacos and double check the packaging.
Cheese – use either shredded Mexican cheese mix or Colby Jack cheese is also great!
Toppings – There’s some room for creativity here. My favorites include fresh avocado slices, cilantro, red onions, pickled jalapeños and lots of pico de gallo!
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Cook Pulled Pork
Cut pork shoulder in 2-3 pieces and place them in an Instant Pot. Add diced onion, smashed garlic, and bay leaves.
In a mixing bowl, combine some of the chicken stock, juice from limes, and seasoning. Mix it well. Pour the mixture all over the pork and veggies. Add remaining chicken stock.
Close the lid and make sure it’s latched. Turn the valve to “seal” and set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure cook mode for 65-75 minutes. (Depending on how large the meat chunks are.)
Turn off the Instant Pot when it’s done and let it naturally release for 10 minutes. You can do manual release after that.
Take all the meat out into a mixing bowl. Gently shred the meat with two forks. You can choose do discard large pieces of fat or keep it. (Save broth from cooking the pork for storing and reheating.)
How to Make Pulled Pork Tacos
Brown the pulled pork. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add some oil to the pan. Note that you may want to work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan! Sauté the pork for just a minute, then add some of the cooking broth to the pan. Stir it quickly and let the juice cook out as the meat browns. Stir it a few times to let more of the meat brown (1).
Prepare the tortillas. Preheat the oven to 450°F and grease a baking sheet. Spread the tortillas all across the baking sheet.
Bake the tortilla shells. Bake the tortillas for about 3 minutes, then take them out. Flip and spread shredded cheese evenly over each tortilla (3). Bake another 3-4 minutes (4).
Assemble. Add some slaw, 1/3-1/2 cup of pulled pork, and your favorite toppings over the pork.
Recipe FAQs
Use bone-in Boston butt! It has less fat on the outside and the fat is more evenly spread throughout the muscle. This will result in a more tender and juicy meat, which is exactly what you want in your pull-apart pork. Another big bonus is that you don’t have to trim the fat off the meat before cooking it, making this recipe even easier.
Sure thing! Making pulled pork in a slow cooker is similar to making it in a pressure cooker, but it’ll cook for 6-8 hours.
Place the pork shoulder in your Crockpot. Add the diced onions, smashed garlic and bay leaves.
In a mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, and salt with 1 cup of stock and pour it into the pot. If needed, add a little more stock just to cover the meat. Squeeze in the lime juice.
Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 4-6 hours.
Once it’s done, place the meat in a mixing bowl and gently shred it with two forks. (Save some broth from cooking pork in a separate container.)
I think the better question may be what can you NOT serve with pulled pork tacos?! I have a long list of favorite sides.
Some of the very best side dishes to serve with these pulled pork tacos include tropical slaw, salsa, salsa verde, French fries, guacamole, Spanish rice, queso dip, corn and black bean salad, rice pilaf, refried bean dip, pineapple salsa, mango salsa, roasted potatoes, corn fritters, or cucumber salad.
The Best Toppings for Pulled Pork Tacos
The slaw recipe I’ve included is my absolute favorite to toss on top of pulled pork tacos! However, you can just use cabbage with no extra ingredients if preferred.
Other great toppings include pickled or fresh jalapeños, pickled red onions, pico de gallo, freshly sliced avocados, onions and chopped tomatoes. Try adding some nacho cheese too, here’s a lot of room for creativity here!
Storing and Freezing Pulled Pork
Once the tacos are assembled, they’re best served right away.
However, you can store the pulled pork in the broth it was cooked in, in the refrigerator for 4-5 days! Make sure to store in in a air-tight food storage container. Save the broth, that way you can add it to the pan if you need to brown the pork later. It also helps keep the pork moist when stored.
You can also freeze pulled pork right after you pulled it. Portion the pork into freezer bags, let all of the air out and seal. Label, date, and freeze. Freeze the broth in a separate freezer bag or a freezer-safe container with a lid.
To thaw, simply pull pork and the broth out of the freezer place them straight into the fridge. Let it all defrost slowly overnight (or up to 18 hours) in the refrigerator.
More Recipes To Make With Pulled Pork
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Pulled Pork Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lb pork shoulder
- 1 medium onion
- 8-10 large garlic cloves
- 1-2 cup chicken stock enough to cover the meat
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3-4 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp coarse salt you can add more after pork is cooked
- 2 lime – juice
Slaw:
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp white granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt more or less to taste
Tacos:
- 10-12 soft taco shells corn or flour
- 1-1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese mix or Colby-Jack
- 1/2 cup Pico de Gallo
- 1/2 cup pickled jalapenos drained
Instructions
To Make Pulled Pork:
- Cut pork shoulder in 2-3 pieces and place it in an Instant Pot.
- Add chopped onion, smashed garlic, and bay leaves.
- Add brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, and salt with 1 cup of stock and pour it into the pot. If needed, add a little more stock just to cover the meat. Squeeze in the lime juice.
- Close the lid and make sure it’s latched. Turn the valve to “seal” and set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure cook mode for 65-75 minutes. (Depending on how large the meat chunks are.)
- Turn off the Instant Pot when it’s done and let it naturally release for 10 minutes. You can do manual release after that.
- Take all the meat out into a mixing bowl and let it cool enough to handle. Gently shred the meat with two forks or your hands. You can choose to discard large pieces of fat or keep it. Make sure to feel around for any small bones that could have been left behind.PRO TIP: Save some broth from cooking the pork to store with and reheat.
Heating Pulled Pork For Tacos:
- Preheat the skillet (or another cooking pan) over medium-high heat. Add a little bit of oil to grease the bottom of the pan. (You can choose to brown a portion of pulled pork or all at the same time. Whichever amount you choose, select the pan accordingly because you don’t want to overcrowd the meat.)
- Sauté for about a minute and then add some of the cooking broth into the pan, quickly stir and let the juice cook out as the bottom of the meat browns. Stir a couple of times and let a few more pieces get brown.
Slaw:
- In a small bowl, combine thinly sliced cabbage with oil, lime juice, salt, and sugar. Mix well and massage it gently with your hands. Set aside.
To Make Tacos:
- Preheat the oven to 450℉ and grease a large baking sheet. Spread the taco tortillas on the baking sheet in one even layer. Bake for about 3 minutes and take it out. Flip and spread shredded cheese evenly over each tortilla. Bake another 3-4 minutes.
- To build tacos: add some slaw, 1/3-1/2 cup of pulled pork, and your favorite toppings over the pork.
Notes
- Additional toppings: Avocados, sliced onions, cilantro, fresh jalapenos, pickled red onions.
- Slow Cooker Option: Making pulled pork in a slow cooker is similar to making it in a pressure cooker, but it’ll cook for 6-8 hours.
Place the pork shoulder in your Crockpot. Add the diced onions, smashed garlic and bay leaves. In a mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, and salt with 1 cup of stock and pour it into the pot. If needed, add a little more stock just to cover the meat. Squeeze in the lime juice.
Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 4-6 hours.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in June 2017.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Yummy!! This sounds divine.
Thank you, Janet!
I believe the big capitalized HERE for the slaw is supposed to be a link, but it’s not redirecting me anywhere. Please post the slaw recipe on this page
Go to instructions and step 12 has a link that works for slaw
I don’t see a step 12 or a link.
I am so sorry, I missed these comments. Here is the link for the tropical slaw but it is also in above in the recipe card under slaw. https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/tropical-slaw/
I knew this was pork and I pinned it to chicken. I think this slaw would make even liver taste good. And I HATE liver.
So not to worry. I won’t do that. I guess pork is the other white meat for a reason. Thanks for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda