Nope, it’s not Tuesday but who says you have to eat tacos only on a Tuesday. These slow cooker pork tacos are good for any day of the week. All you have to do is throw together some ingredients, marinate the pork then do a nice rub down with some spices and let the slow cooker do all the rest of the work. Look at that tender, tasty pork topped with some crunchy Guatemalan slaw (my version anyway) and cilantro and tucked away in warm tortillas. You know you want one too so go….go and make you a few right now…. ok you can make more than a few, no one will know, I won’t tell.
Here’s what you need:
*aprox 3 LB pork loin; pork shoulder works great too, but this was all my grocery store had at the time.
*1 pkg of flour tortillas
*chopped cilantro for garnish
Marinade:
*1/2 cup orange juice
*1/4 cup lime juice
*1/2 large onion, chopped
*4 garlic cloves
*2 TBS soy sauce
*2 tsp. white wince vinegar
*1 TBS. Worcestershire sauce
*2 tsp. brown sugar
*1/4 cup olive oil
*1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped stems and all
Rub:
*2 tsp. dried oregano
*1 tsp. cumin
*1/4 tsp chipotle powder; or more or less to taste
*1 tsp. onion powder
*1 tsp. garlic powder
*1/2 tsp. salt
Braising Liquid:
1/2 cup orange juice
2/3 cup sprite, 7 up or Sierra Mist
1/2 large onion, chopped
For the Slaw:
*1 bag of shredded cabbage
*1 TBS Mayonnaise or more to taste
*cilantro, chopped to taste
*olive oil, to taste
*salt to taste
*lime juice, to taste
In a blender, combine all of the ingredients to the marinade
Blend until well combined.
Place the pork in a zip top bag and pour the marinade over the pork; squeeze as much of the air out of the bag as possible and seal.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or over night. Turn the bag over at least once during the marinating time.
30 to 45 minutes prior to cooking, pull out the pork from the bag, with paper towels wipe the excess marinade off. You still want to leave some on if possible.
Mix all of the ingredients together for the rub.
Place the pork in to a shallow dish and rub the spice mixture on all sides of the pork.
Let sit for 30 to 45 minutes.
Mix together the braising liquid; set aside.
Place the pork in to the slow cooker. If it has a fat cap, that will go right side up. Pour the braising liquid over the top and around the pork.
As you can see, I did not cover the pork over half of the way up with the orange juice mixture. I wanted just enough to give it flavor and tenderize it, but I also wanted the flavor of the pork to shine through instead of the braising mixture.
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
While the pork is cooking, mix up the Guatemalan Slaw. See recipe on the link to Slow Cooker Apple Whiskey BBQ Pulled Pork with Guatemalan Slaw. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Carefully remove the pork from the slow cooker and place on a large cutting board. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
With 2 forks shred the pork.
Place in a bowl or shallow dish and cover with foil to keep warm.
Heat a large cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Place a tortilla in the pan and heat until it starts to have a few dark spots, about 15 to 20 seconds; flip it over and warm the other side. Repeat with each remaining tortilla.
Place the shredded pork on a tortilla and add any desired condiments such as cheese, sour cream or guacamole. Top with the Guatemalan slaw and cilantro. Serve and Enjoy!
A Foodie In The South 