Our simple and delicious Pulled Pork Tacos are the perfect tacos for your next Taco Tuesday! The pork is so flavorful and juicy thanks to our amazing pork preparation that includes our homemade pork rub, liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard! It cooks low and slow for 8 hours and falls apart. Serve with our fresh, homemade salsa!
The Best Pulled Pork Tacos
Table of Contents
This Mexican-inspired dish is a go-to weeknight dinner in our house! We have SO many different ways to make a yummy batch of pulled pork (this smoked pork shoulder is one of our favorites) – there isn’t anything much better than flavorful, tender and delicious pulled pork with some mango salsa, cilantro and lime juice! Those are some of our favorite toppings for a pulled pork taco, but feel free to pick any pulled pork tacos toppings that you love.
This is not an authentic Mexican recipe, but rather my own spin – if you want an authentic Mexican recipe check out Isabel Eats!
Looking for More Pork Recipes?
If you love pulled pork recipes as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Smoked Carnitas!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients, notes and estimated nutrition facts.
- pork rub recipe – highly recommend our homemade pork rub, made of kosher salt, paprika, lemon pepper, a bit of cayenne pepper (optional), garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper and dry mustard. Feel free to add in a bit of cumin, chili powder or oregano too, for even more flavor and spice!
- yellow mustard + liquid smoke – these are both rubbed on the pork shoulder to add flavor, help the rub stay on, and bring some moisture for tender pork.
- pork shoulder – feel free to use pork butt or pork shoulder and boneless or bone-in.
- beef broth – this is only if you are making the Instant Pot version.
- toppings: we have included a mango salsa in the recipes card so we highly recommend making that! Beyond that, sour cream, guacamole, fresh cilantro and squeeze of fresh lime juice are also recommended!
4 Steps To Make Easy Pulled Pork Tacos
The first step is to make our homemade pork seasoning! We have been perfecting this seasoning combination for almost 10 years!
More Ways To Cook Pulled Pork
If you are looking for more ways to cook a pork shoulder or pork butt, try making a Pork Shoulder Roast in the oven or brush off your Traeger electric smoker and make a Smoked Pork Shoulder. We even have a recipe for a Sous Vide Pork Shoulder!
The second step is to prepare the pork with liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard and then add in the pork seasoning!
Third, let the crockpot do the work and then shred your pork (although it will pretty much just fall apart).
Finally, while the pork cooks you can toss together your mango pineapple ingredients. Then serve and enjoy!
What Goes Well With Pork Tacos
We highly recommend the combination pictured – mango pineapple salsa, cilantro, lime wedges for a few squeeze of lime juice. There are a variety of different taco toppings, like pico de gallo, hot sauce, quick pickled red onion, and so many others that would also work on this taco recipe! You could also make some pulled pork tacos with slaw and add some creamy coleslaw or Purple Cabbage Coleslaw.
Storage & Freezer
Refrigerator: Store leftover pulled pork tacos in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Just keep the leftover meat separate from the toppings for easier reheating.
Freezer: shred cooked pork and let cool. Place shredded pork + any juices in a freezer bags and seal. Freeze for up to 3-6 months. To thaw place in the refrigerator overnight.
Recipe FAQs
- What’s the best way to shred pulled pork? I personally like to just leave it in the crockpot and use two forks or two “bear claws” to shred. Alternatively, you can remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred on a large plate.
- What’s the difference between pulled pork and carnitas? Pulled pork is ready to eat after it is cooked and shredded. For a carnitas recipe, you would place the pork carnitas on a baking sheet and finish it under high heat to make it a little more crisp. This could also be done in a cast iron skillet on the stove top right before dinner time.
Made this delicious recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
- Salsa Verde Chicken (IP + Slow Cooker) is also a yummy crockpot dinner option! We love using this for rice bowls.
- Pulled Pork Nachos – we love using leftover pork for these – what a delicious and easy weeknight dinner idea!
- Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken is another great slow cooker recipe that you can set-it-and-forget-it!
- Grilled Elote Steak Tacos are a fun way to make taco night more exciting! The street corn salad is so good!
- Ultimate Pork Roast is also a great pork recipe that requires a little more love, but is so worth it! A great Sunday Supper recipe!
Pulled Pork Tacos Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: Approx. 12 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our easy Pulled Pork Tacos recipe is a simple and delicious meal your whole family will love! Perfect for meal prep and busy weeknights!
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork:
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1–2 tablespoons liquid smoke
- 1–2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
- (1) 3-3.5 lb pork shoulder (with or without the bone)
Mango Pineapple Salsa:
- 1 cup pineapple, diced
- 1 cups mango, diced
- 1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (more if desired)
- (optional) 1 small jalapeno, diced
- (optional) 1 avocado, diced (more if you want)
Other Taco Ingredients:
- fresh limes, slices
- homemade guacamole
- fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- sour cream (regular or dairy-free sour cream)
- tortillas of your choice (we used street corn-sized tortillas)
- cotija cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Make Seasoning: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika, 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional), 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon dry mustard.
- Prep Pork Shoulder: Place pork shoulder on a large plate or platter. Rub with 1-2 tablespoons liquid smoke, getting into all the little crevices. Rub with 1-2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce. Then rub with 3 tablespoons of yellow mustard. Take the seasoning from Step 1 and rub all over – ensuring you get in every nook and cranny – this will create a paste.
- Cook: Place in slow cooker (no liquid needed) and cook on the low setting for 8 hours.
- Make Salsa: Meanwhile, in a bowl combine 1 cup diced pineapple, 1 cup diced mango, 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper, 1/4 of a red onion (diced), 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir to combine and taste – add more lime juice or salt, as desired. Store in refrigerator until you serve.
- Shred + Serve: Shred the pork right in the slow cooker with two forks – option to transfer to a plate and shred there, if desired.
- Build Tacos: take your tortilla and top with pulled pork. Top with salsa, sour cream, guacamole and some fresh cilantro. Squeeze with fresh lime juice and enjoy.
Notes
- Other Cooking options: feel free to make pulled pork in the Instant Pot, in the oven or a smoked pork shoulder!
- Season Overnight Option: once you have the applied the liquid smoke, mustard and pork rub you can cook it right away OR you can wrap it up (in plastic wrap or aluminum foil) and allow it to sit in the refrigerator overnight. This will help it be a little more flavorful, but it is not necessary for the recipe to turn out! It still tastes amazing if you skip that step!
- Leftovers: if you have leftover pulled pork feel free to make pulled pork enchiladas or pork quesadillas!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 212
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 159 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.2 g
- Protein: 23.4 g
- Cholesterol: 76.3 mg
Originally published January 30, 2020.
Margaret says
This recipe was amazing – 5 stars from all four family members, including the picky tween!! Don’t skip the mango salsa. It is the perfect balance to the savory pork. (I didn’t have pineapple so just used all mango and it was perfect.). This will be on regular rotation in my house. 🤩
Erin says
So happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Margaret!
Leslie says
Wow this pulled pork might be the best I’ve ever had, I didn’t have to add anything extra. I didn’t have liquid smoke but it really didn’t even need it! I’ll be making this pork on repeat from now on! I used a small (3lb roast) so I didn’t use the entire batch of seasoning and it was still perfect! Go make this NOW!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Leslie! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback – I really appreciate it!