Crispy Pulled Pork Taco Recipe
A crispy pulled pork taco recipe where the pork shoulder is oven-cooked long and slow in an aromatic confit of fat until tender and pulled to perfection.
Servings: 12
Calories: 544kcal
Equipment
- 1 9 inch x 13 inch x 2 inch height oven-proof, glass casserole dish
- 1 Disposable aluminum pan for broiling (I use 9 x 12 x 2 ½ inch deep pans from Costco)
- 1 Cookie sheet to catch any drips
Ingredients
Ingredients Needed To Cook Pork Shoulder
- 7 pounds bone in pork shoulder butt cut into 2-inch cubes or 6.5 pounds boneless pork
- 2 tablespoonds Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 medium orange, quartered
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
Ingredients Needed To Crisp Pulled Pork
- ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark brown
- 6 tablespoons quality, aged balsamic vinegar Look for quality, thick, aged balsamic. Suggested brands: Whole Foods Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Italy OR Napa Valley Grand Reserve Balsamic Vinegar
- 24 flour tortillas, 5-6 inch diameter
Optional Toppings
- pickled red onions
- salsa verde
Instructions
Cook The Pork Shoulder
- Preheat the oven to 275℉. Apply cooking spray your casserole dish to prevent sticking.
- Season the pork cubes with kosher salt and pepper and place them in a 9 x 13 x 2 inch Pyrex casserole dish. Nestle the onion quarters, garlic cloves, and bay leaves between the cubes of pork throughout the dish. Hand-squeeze the orange quarters over the pork cubes then nestle the orange segments within the meat pieces. Everything should be an even layer.
- Pour the canola oil around the meat. Cover the casserole tightly with foil and place on top of an aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet to catch the drips and help with clean up. It will bubble over.
- Cook in the center of the oven for about 6-7 hours to an internal temperature of 203-205℉ on a meat thermometer, or until a fork pierced in the meat comes out easily. Remove the pan from the oven.
- Optional red onions: If you are planning to top your pulled pork tacos with pickled red onions, make them now. My quick pickled red onions recipe is super quick and easy!
- Turn the broiler to high and adjust the top rack of the oven to about 5 inches from your heating element.
- Transfer the cooked pork and onions to a disposable aluminum pan or a foil-lined cookie sheet. Dispose of the orange segments, bay leaves, dried and inedible onion exteriors, and larger chunks of fat. Lightly shred the pork with 2 forks or your clean hands. Be mindful to keep some bite-sized chunks by not over-shredding it.
- Optional for salsa verde: If you are saving the juices for homemade tomatillo salsa verde, spoon them into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup.
To Crisp The Pork
- Adjust the top oven rack to be 4-5 inches from the broiler burner and turn the broiler on high.
- Add and lightly combine the brown sugar and the balsamic vinegar to the pork. Taste the mixture to see if it needs a touch of salt.
- Broil the meat in the oven to crisp it up. Check the pan every 4-5 minutes, looking to see if it’s starting to char. Once the pork starts to char, stir the meat with tongs to rotate the layers. You are trying to char as much as you can while keeping it moist. You will be broiling and stirring every 4-5 minutes for about 16-18 minutes total time, or longer if you like it more crispy.
- Serve with toasted or warmed small flour tortillas and toppings that you love.
Notes
To make this up to 4 days ahead of time:
- Stop after step 4 of the directions. Place the cookie sheet with the Pyrex casserole on top and loosely cover with foil in your refrigerator for up to 4 days until you are ready to serve.
- One hour before serving, preheat the oven to 350℉. Remove the casserole from the fridge and skim off the congealed fat surrounding the pork chunks. Dispose of the fat.
- Optional: Spoon ½ cup of the pork stock that is nestled between the cubes to a measuring cup if you plan to save the stock. It looks like a clear gel.
- Place the casserole that is still on the cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes to soften the pork.
- Proceed with step 5 of the directions.
Nutrition
Calories: 544kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 633mg | Potassium: 693mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 4mg
