Pulled Pork & Pulled Pork Tacos (Carnitas)

In the winter I really enjoy getting out the crockpot. There is something so nice about coming home on a cold day and walking into the house to the smell of something delicious. Doing a little prep in the morning makes dinner a breeze.

pulled pork

One of my favorite things to cook in the crock pot is pulled pork. This recipe is something I came up with via trial and error. I have added many different spices in different quantities and finally found a combination that I like the best.

I have always loved traveling to the south, and one of the reasons is because the food is so amazing. Carolina style BBQ has always been one of my favorites. The tangy taste of the vinegar combined with the sweetness of the brown sugar is a sweet and savory combination that works well as a sandwich or as a base for leftovers. In true Carolina style this is a “dry” pulled pork. It is not cooked in or with BBQ sauce. However, you can add BBQ sauce to it later if you wish.

Today I am going to share both my pulled pork recipe and a delicious leftover option, Carnita tacos.

Carolina Style Pulled Pork

2 – 3lb. boneless, pork shoulder roast
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup water
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
¾ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. ground, black pepper
½ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. crushed, red pepper flakes
1 tbs. yellow mustard
1 – ½ tbs. brown sugar

Place roast in the crock pot and add vinegar and water. Coat roast with spices.

ready for crock pot magic

Chop onions and place on and around roast. Sprinkle roast with mustard and brown sugar.

Set crock pot to high and cook 8 hours.

Remove roast from crock pot and place in a big bowl. I like to pull the pork with two large forks. It will fall right apart. Add ½ cup of the juice (or more to taste) from the crock pot to the pulled pork and mix it in.

And there you go. It is delicious as is, or makes a great sandwich. You can top the sandwich with BBQ sauce, coleslaw, pickle chips or whatever you like.

This is a very versatile recipe. You can top pizza with it. You can use it in soup. You can use it to make nachos or quesadillas. Tonight, I made tacos.

Pulled Pork Tacos (Carnitas)

Pulled pork
Shredded cheese
4” soft tortilla shells (wheat or corn)
Fresh salsa (pico de gallo)
Chopped greens of your choice
Chopped Cilantro (optional)
Lime wedges

Pretty simple little recipe here. Warm the tortilla shells and layer pork, cheese, greens and salsa. Squeeze a lime wedge over the whole thing. I like these just like this but you can add other toppings if you wish – tomatoes, hot sauce, green onions… whatever you feel.