Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Pork Tacos
Slow-cooked pork tacos make a generous meal to share when everyone is hungry. Tender shredded pork sits in warm tortillas, with fresh pico and salty cheese over the top.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 180 min
- Total
- 200 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 16 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Primary protein
- Pork
- Cuisine
- Mexican
- Cooking method
- Roasting · Baked & roasted · Slow cooker
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: over 60 minutes
- Dish type
- Tacos
A few quick notes
1. Brown the roast all around
Season with salt and pepper, then brown every side in the hot pot before transferring it into the slow cooker.
2. Add aromatics after transferring
Put onion, bay leaves, spices, citrus juices and broth around the browned roast in the cooker before covering.
3. Remove aromatics before shredding
Take out the cooked onion and bay leaves after slow cooking, then pull the pork apart with two forks.
Get to know the ingredients
Pork roast choice
A roast such as pork butt is listed, browned as a whole piece before its long covered cook.
Quartered onion
Peel and quarter the onion before adding to the cooker; it is removed with the bay leaves before shredding pork.
Finely grated cotija
Keep the cotija finely grated for sprinkling over the pork and pico in the warmed tortillas at serving.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 6 steps completeMake room for Pork Tacos
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Fill warm tortillas
Warm the flour tortillas, divide shredded pork among them and top with pico de gallo and cotija cheese before serving.
A little more help as you go
Two citrus juices in the cooker
Lime and orange juice join chicken broth and spices after the roast is browned, forming the cooking liquid around the pork.
Both cooker settings are included
Use the stated high or low cooking window with the lid on before removing the onion and bay leaves for shredding.
A few questions you might have
Can I use store-bought pico de gallo?
Homemade or store-bought pico is included for spooning over the shredded pork in warm flour tortillas.
Do the bay leaves go into the tacos?
Remove them with the onion before shredding the cooked pork, then fill the tortillas with the meat and fresh toppings.
When is chili powder added?
It goes into the cooker with cumin, oregano, onion, bay leaves, citrus juices and broth after the pork's browning stage.
Should I slice or shred the cooked pork?
Use two forks to shred it after removing the onion and bay leaves, then divide the pulled meat among the tortillas.
Do I warm the tortillas before filling?
Yes. Warm the flour tortillas first, then add shredded pork, pico de gallo and finely grated cotija for serving.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinneratthezoo.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
