Crock-Pot Pulled Pork Chipotle Lime Tacos

I love the calm that January brings.  Winter’s rest is palpable in this little town.  Most of our local farm markets have officially closed for the season with their fields resting under blankets of ice and snow.  So let’s turn up the heat a bit with this Crock-Pot Pulled Pork Chipotle Lime Taco recipe.

While it may feel like the whole world is under winter’s blanket too, it’s just not so.  In fact, our farmer friends in the warmer parts of the country are enjoying the fruits of their labor, quite literally.  January is prime time citrus season  So, today I’m reaching for seasonal oranges and limes.

Since I’m also seeking a little heat, let’s add a little smoky chipotle.  Winter calls for comfort food and slow cooking, and I am more than happy to oblige.  So pull out that crock-pot and let’s make Crock-Pot Pulled Pork Chipotle Lime Tacos together!

It’s a best practice to pan-sear the meat first.  It might sound counter-intuitive since we’re relying on a slow cooker to do all the work, but that crusty caramelization adds a layer of flavor that the crock pot just can’t produce on its own.

Note that this recipe may yield plenty of juice, depending on the pork.  That’s a good thing.  The juice will keep the pork from drying out in the crockpot, especially if it ends up sitting in “warm” mode for a while.  After shredding the pork, use a serving fork to lift the pork from the juices and into your tortilla.  Any leftover pork, along with the juices, tastes great spooned over pasta the next day, see some suggestions in the recipe notes below..

When it’s time to prepare the tacos, I like to take this recipe one step further by dolloping the tacos with a creamy dressing made from sour cream, a whole chipotle, honey and lime.  Although you can top these tacos however you’d like – straight-up sour cream works perfectly fine, too.

The shredded pork will keep well for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge, so go ahead and have Taco Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday!  You can also use the leftover pork, along with some of that deliciously flavored broth, and add it to rice, pasta, or in a salad.

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Crock-Pot Pulled Pork Chipotle Lime Tacos

These Crock-Pot Pulled Pork Chipotle Lime Tacos cook low and slow. Recipe included for a chipotle honey dressing, too!

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pork, Slow Cooker, Taco

Servings: 0

Author: Chasing the Seasons

Equipment

• Slow Cooker / Crock-Pot

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4-5 lb boneless pork roast (fat trimmed and cut into 3 inch-[7.62-cm] pieces)
• Kosher salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• juice of 2 freshly squeezed oranges
• juice of 3 freshly squeezed limes, divided reserving about 2 tbsp for dressing
• 1 cup chicken broth
• sliced red onion (optional) for garnish
• greens of choice (optional) for garnish

For the Dressing:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsps chipotle powder
• 1 whole chipotle (in adobo sauce), minced, plus a 2-3 teaspoons of the adobe sauce
• 2 tsp honey

Instructions

• Over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and butter to a large skillet until hot.  Generously season all sides of the pork with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet.  Sear all sides of the pork until browned and set aside.
• Add all of the remaining pork ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine, being sure to set aside about 2 tablespoons of lime juice for the dressing.
• Nestle the pork on top of these ingredients and cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
• In the meantime, make the dressing by combining all of the dressing ingredients together, along with the reserved lime juice. Stir well to combine. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
• When the pork is done, use two forks to assist in shredding it into bite sized pieces.  Note that this may yield a lot of juice, depending on the pork.  If so, use a serving fork to lift the shredded meat out of the juice and into the tortillas.  Spoon some of the extra juices from the crock pot on top.  Top with the homemade dressing and serve with extra lime wedges. 
• Garnish with sliced red onion and greens of choice, if desires.

Notes

Note that this recipe may yield a lot of juice.  You’ll need that to keep the pork from drying out.  Simply lift the shredded pork out from the juices with a fork to serve.

Leftover suggestions:

After the juices have cooled, skim off any fat and keep to add to a pasta dish later that week.  Include any leftover shredded pork, too.  Consider also adding whole, peeled tomatoes and paste to help thicken it up, and to make an entirely different meal.  Top with grated fontina or Parmigiano-Reggiano.

You can also use the leftover pork, along with some of that deliciously flavored broth, and add it to rice.   

Have fun with this!  Some other garnish options to consider:  avocado, spicy tomato salsa either alone or added to plain sour cream.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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