Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos

The recipe Sunday was slow-cooked pork tacos — a pork shoulder slow-cooked eight hours with a chipotle-orange-cumin-garlic sauce, shredded into the cooking liquid, served in warm corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, lime.

The recipe is below.

Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 7 hours | Total Time: 7 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, trimmed
• 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 16 small corn or flour tortillas, warmed
• Optional toppings: shredded Mexican cheese blend, sour cream, fresh salsa, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, lime wedges

Instructions

1. Season the pork. Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels. Rub the taco seasoning evenly over all sides of the meat.
2. Build the slow cooker base. Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour in the chicken broth and the can of diced tomatoes with green chiles. Stir in the cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Add the pork. Nestle the seasoned pork shoulder into the slow cooker, pressing it down gently into the liquid. The liquid does not need to cover the meat fully.
4. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the pork is fall-apart tender and easily shreds with a fork.
5. Shred and finish. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and shred using two forks. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker. Stir in the fresh lime juice and let everything sit together on the WARM setting for 10 minutes to absorb the juices.
6. Warm the tortillas. Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, or warm them directly over a gas burner for about 20 seconds per side until just charred at the edges.
7. Assemble and serve. Spoon the shredded pork onto warmed tortillas and top as desired with cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving, 2 tacos with pork and tortillas, no toppings)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 27g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 26g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 610mg