Braised Pulled Pork Tacos

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 2 15

Total Time: 2 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 313kcal

Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen

Moist and tender pork shoulder roast is braised in a rich and sweet tomato-based sauce with white wine, and brown sugar. The secret to these absolutely delicious Braised Pulled Pork Tacos is allowing the meat to cook slowly over low heat in a covered pan for multiple hours. Braising cannot be rushed and patience is greatly rewarded with just one bite of this deliciously savoury taco!

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Ingredients

For the Pork:

3 pounds pork shoulder roast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup ketchup
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
6 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste

For the Tacos:

4 cups green cabbage, shredded
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
1 whole carrot, peeled and juilienned
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 whole jalapeno, diced, plus more for garnish (optional)
1 cup sour cream
12 small tortillas

Instructions

Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels and season each side with the salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, add the olive oil to your Dutch oven and place the pork shoulder into the pot. Sear for 2-3 minutes and turn over each piece to sear for another 2-3 minutes. Once done, remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
Next, add the onion to the pot and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the onion is cooked through. Add the garlic, stir into the onions, and cook for another 2 minutes. Next, add the water, white wine (or more water if you want an alcohol-free version,) ketchup, bouillon cubes, dried thyme, brown sugar, and tomato paste. Whisk until well combined.
Use tongs to add the pork shoulder back to the pot. Be sure to nestle it into the sauce so that it is touching the bottom of the pot. The sauce should be rising up the sides of the meat. Place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 2 hours, checking ever 30 minutes to see if the liquid has not evaporated too much. The sauce will reduce and thicken, but should never be lower than 1.5 inches in the pot. If the liquid evaporates too much, add water.
While the pork is braising, get the green and red cabbage into a bowl with the carrots and green onions. If you are adding in diced jalapenos, add those in now too. Add one tablespoon of freshly squeezed lime juice to the bowl with the cabbage and toss it well until all of the ingredients are well combined. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to build your tacos.
Once the pork is cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside. At this point, the pork will be very tender and likely falling apart. That’s quite alright since it’s going to be shredded anyway. Just get all of the pork out of the sauce and onto a cutting board. Set it aside while you turn your attention back to the sauce.
While the pork rests, place your Dutch oven on a burner and turn the heat to medium-high. Stir the sauce and allow it to come to a boil for 8-10 minutes, stirring often.
While keeping an eye on the sauce and stirring often, turn your attention to the pork. Using two forks, shred the pork so that you are left with long strands of meat. Personally, I think the shredded pork left on the chunky side makes for a better bite! Once it has been shredded to your liking, add the pork back into the pot with the sauce. Turn off the heat and stir the pork until every shred is drenched in sauce. Cover the pot and let it rest for five minutes.
To build the tacos, lay your tortillas down and spread a layer of the cabbage mixture down the center of each tortilla. If you want to add cheese, do it now.
Next, use tongs to pile on the pulled pork – as much as you want! Top that with any garnish you would like to use. Note that I used more chopped green onions and sliced jalapenos. Next, drizzle over the sour cream, spritz a lime wedge over it, and enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition