Pulled Pork Tacos

Posted By: Amy 18 Comments on Pulled Pork Tacos

Posted: Mar 31, 2025

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These tomatoey pulled pork tacos with sweet poblanos are an easy Mexican dinner. Topped with crumbly queso fresco and creamy avocado, every bite is ultra juicy and smokey.

Why You’ll Love These Pulled Pork Tacos

These spicy pulled pork tacos with fresh and creamy toppings are perfect for your weekly taco nights.

• Great for weeknights. Serve the pulled pork, toppings, and tortillas in separate bowls and let everyone assemble their own tacos.
• Freezer-friendly. Pop it out of the freezer for late-night dinners, cravings, or last-minute meals.
• Mexican-inspired. Two types of peppers, juicy tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder give this recipe its signature Mexican flavor.
• Versatile. Make bowls, crispy tacos, burritos, or add more veggies if you want.

Recipe Ingredients

Sweet poblanos and a smokey spice mix go beautifully with the pork. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.

• Pork shoulder – Remove most of the fat.
• Salt and pepper – Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper are best.
• Coconut oil – Feel free to use vegetable, corn, canola, or olive oil.
• Onion – You can use white or yellow onions.
• Poblano pepper – Anaheim peppers are the best swap.
• Serranos – Go for jalapeños if that’s what you’ve got on hand.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic, garlic paste, and garlic powder all work for this.
• Canned tomatoes – Diced tomatoes are best, but crushed ones are fine as well.
• Spices – You need cumin seeds, chili powder, and dried oregano.
• Lime juice – You can also use lemon juice.
• Corn tortillas – They can be small or large tortillas.

Topping Ideas

Add your favorite combination of fresh, crunchy, and creamy toppings for the perfect bite.

• Avocado – Guacamole is a great swap.
• Cilantro – You can also use leftover pico de gallo.
• Queso fresco – Feel free to use cotija cheese.
• Sour cream – Mexican crema is fine as well.
• Crumbled bacon – Pork rinds work too.

How To Make Pulled Pork Tacos

Don’t let the pork cool too much before shredding, otherwise it’ll be harder. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.

• Brown the pork. Season the pork with salt and pepper on all sides. Add coconut oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the pork for 3-4 minutes per side, or until slightly browned. Don’t overcrowd the Dutch oven so you may have to cook in batches. Remove it from the heat and set aside.

• Sautée the veggies. Stir in the onions, poblano, and garlic. Sautée for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the tomatoes, spices, and lime juice. Mix well and bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
• Simmer it. Return the pork and all of its cooking juices to the Dutch oven. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the Dutch oven and let the pork cook for 1 hour.
• Shred it. Remove the meat from the heat. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Use two forks to pull the meat in opposite directions to shred it. Stir the shredded pork into the sautéed veggie mixture. Remove it from the heat.
• Serve. Heat up the tortillas and top them with pulled pork. Add avocado, queso, and cilantro. Enjoy!

Tips & Variations

You can make so much more than pulled pork tacos with this simple recipe! Try burritos or Mexican bowl-style dinners too.

• Make burritos. Swap the corn tortillas for flour ones. Add refried beans, Mexican red rice, and toppings. Roll up like a burrito and enjoy.
• Make crispy tacos. Assemble the tacos without toppings. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a pan over medium heat. Pan-fry 2-3 tacos at a time for 1-2 minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Add toppings as usual.
• More veggies. Mix 2 cups chopped bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, or corn into the Dutch oven and cook as usual.
• Crank up the heat. Add an extra serrano to the veggie mixture for a kick of heat. You can also use 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
• Bowl-style dinner. Add Mexican rice to serving bowls. Top them with pulled pork, grilled corn, diced avocado, and black beans for a bowl-style dinner.

Serving Suggestions

These Mexican pulled pork tacos are an easy appetizer and/or dinner. I love serving them with Black Bean Quinoa Salad or Mexican Quinoa Salad. My Grilled Corn is great too. For something warm and soupy, try my Turkey Chili or Mexican tortilla soup. Guacamole and chips is another easy appetizer to go with them.

Proper Storage

Store the leftovers within 30 minutes of cooking to prevent spoilage.

• Fridge: Place it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store the pork and tortillas separately.
• Freezer: Transfer it to freezer bags in serving-size portions. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• To reheat it: Microwave for up to a minute or until warm. Assemble the tacos with warm tortillas as usual.

More Taco Recipes

• Grilled Steak Taco Recipe with Poblanos
• Blueberry Pork Corn Tacos
• Tequila Lime Fish Tacos with Kale
• Fresh Chicken Tacos

Pulled Pork Tacos

5 from 1 vote

This smokey pulled pork tacos recipe with onions, poblanos, and sweet tomatoes is great for weeknight dinners.

Print Rate Pin

Prep Time8 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 23 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder not too lean, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 generous tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion peeled and finely chopped
• 1 poblano pepper seeded and finely chopped
• 1 serrano chili seeded and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 28 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes with their juices
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 large lime
• Corn tortillas {gluten free}

Instructions

• Sprinkle pork shoulder with kosher salt and pepper on all sides.
• Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and add coconut oil.
• Once oil is melted add pork in batches browning on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.
• You can cook meat in batches so that you do not overcrowd your pan. You want all meat to be able to touch the bottom of the pan. Remove all cooked pork and set aside on a plate.
• Add onion, peppers, and garlic to dutch oven and cook until the soften. This should take about 3-4 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, spices and juice from lime. Bring mixture to a low boil and add all meat and juices to pan.
• Lower heat to low and simmer, covered for 1 hour.
• Liquid should be reduced, remove meat, let it cool and shred using two forks. Discard any segments of fat and place shredded meat back into tomato mixture.
• Remove from heat.
• Serve topped with diced avocados, queso and cilantro.

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

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