Chipotle Pork Tacos

So, I made pulled pork a couple times and failed the first 3 attempts, but this time I nailed it!  These chipotle pork tacos are made to perfection.  They are super tender and basically melt in your mouth.  This exact recipe was a little too spicy for my liking, so next time I am not going to use the chipotle peppers because they have a fire-y kick to them.  My husband, Eric, absolutely lovedddddd them and devoured this meal.  The pork itself I really enjoyed, but I am not a fan of spicy foods.  If you happen to love spicy food then you should totally keep the peppers in your ingredient list.

My family also likes to keep Tuesdays the traditional, "Taco Tuesday".  If your family does too, then this is great for mixing things up and not always using ground beef or ground turkey.  Also, the pork, shredded in the braising liquid, is extremely moist.  I recommend doubling up on the tortillas for each taco so they don't fall apart.  I only used one for each of my tacos and they ripped down the middle halfway through eating them.

Ingredients to make these tacos

To make these delicious chipotle pork tacos this is the list of ingredients I recommend.  You will need a 2 lb.  boneless pork shoulder.  This will need to be trimmed of all at, but I made mine in a crock pot and once it was done cooking I could easily peel off the fat which I found to be less time consuming then cutting it all off.  You will also need 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 orange, cut into six wedges, 1 cup sliced onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp. cumin, and 1 tsp. dried oregano. 

You can use one twelve ounce bottle of dark lager beer or if you prefer no alcohol you can use 1 ½ cups of low-sodium beef broth.  Next, you will need ¾ cup of orange juice, 1 to 2 cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (optional for a more spicy flavor).  Like I had said up top I am not a fan of spicy things, but I know I am the minority and most people are.  So, give the peppers a shot first then if they are too spicy, next time to take them out.

I would recommend using either 2 corn torillas, or 1 whole wheat tortilla per serving and last, but certainly not least top with some crumbled feta cheese 🙂  Mine was also made in a slow cooker.  My family includes me and my husband and 2 ½ children (one on the way).  My kids are young and don't eat a lot so I don't need to make bulk of anything yet.  I have a smaller slow cooker that works perfect for my family size.  This is the one I use, but feel free to go up a size or two if you have more mouths to feed.

Directions to make chipotle pork tacos

• If using the oven.

First, preheat oven to 325 ° F.  Season meat with 1 tsp. kosher salt.  Add 1 tbsp of oil in a dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat.   Add pork to the dutch oven.  It will need to be trimmed of fat and chopped up into pieces before and cooked in batches for 3 to 5 minutes each or until deep brown.  Transfer to a plate after cooked.  Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 tbsp of oil. 

Place orange wedges cut sides down in pot; cook 2 minutes each side until deep brown.  Remove from pot; set aside.  Add onion to pot.  Cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned.  Stir in garlic, cumin, and oregano; cook 1 minute.  Add beer, orange juice, and chipotle peppers.  Bring to a simmer, scraping pan bottom.  Return meat and juice to pot; return to a simmer.  Cover; braise in oven 2 to 2 ½ hours or until meat is fork-tender.

Shred meat in pot.  If there's too  much liquid, simmer over medium to reduce and thicken slightly.  Serve in doubled tortillas with cheese.

• If using a crockpot

Turn crockpot on and set to either high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  Poor 1 tbsp of olive oil in to prevent sticking.  Add the pork and top with all the other ingredients.  Set it and forget it!   Once finished I was able to easily remove the fat and throw it away.  Take 2 forks and shred the pork apart.  Serve on doubled tortillas topped with cheese!