Mexican Style Smoked Pulled Pork Tacos Recipe

Smoked Carnitas Tacos

Carnitas literal translation is Little Meats. We see it on menus at our favorite Mexican restaurants and know they are referring to shredded pork that has been cooked low and slow for a long time. Loaded with flavor from a great blend of spices and plenty of moisture from marbling, this meat recipe is one of my favorites.

By cooking our pork shoulder or pork butt on a smoker, we will get even more great flavor and the break down of fat and connective tissue will gives perfect results every time. 

Perfect Pulled Pork Spices

This recipe is flexible and you can change it up as often as you want. I love to keep it simple and let the flavors of smoked meat come through, plus we will get plenty of flavor from our salsa and taco toppings. But let's get started on our dry rub:

• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Garlic powder or granulated garlic
• Cumin
• Onion Powder
• Chili powder

How to Make Smoked Pulled Pork

Your pork will need to cook for a long time, but the good news is that once you get it on the smoker, it won't need much attention. 

1) Prepare the pork- in a small bowl mix your seasoning blend. Generously season the pork butt. You can also use a binder like olive oil or yellow mustard to help the spices adhere to the meat.

2) Set your smoker to 250F. Lay the pork shoulder directly on the grates with the fat cap facing up. Insert a wireless meat thermometer and cook until the internal temperature hits 165F. This should take about 3-4 hours.

3) Spray the pork with a solution of apple juice and apple cider vinegar during the initial smoke. This helps develop that bark on the outside and retain lots of moisture.

4) When the pork butt reaches 165F, transfer the pork to a disposable aluminum pan or cast iron dutch oven. Add your cooking liquid including orange juice, apple cider vinegar, and bay leaves. Cover the tray with aluminum foil. Lower the temperature to 225F and cook for another 5-6 hours until the internal temperature reaches 204F.

Shredding Pulled Pork

The answer here is all about preference. Three great options for shredding the smoked pork:

Gloved Hands - this is my favorite way because I can thoroughly shred the pork and discard any large pieces of fat or connective tissue that are left after the cooking process.

Bear Claws- the best thing about these is that you break the meat quickly 

Large Forks- if you don't have heat safe gloves or claws, a couple large forks are perfect for tearing through the smoked pork butt or shoulder

Maintaining Moisture

There will be quite a bit of liquid in the aluminum tray or cast iron after the pork has finished cooking. Pour that liquid into a fat separator and let it work its magic while you shred the pork.

You can add as much or as little of that cooking liquid to maintain your desired level of moisture. There will also be a lot of flavor and salt in the cooking liquid, so exercise caution and don't pour it all in at once.

Carnitas vs Smoked Pork

Now that you know the spices and process you are ready for the final piece of this puzzle. Crispy edges. The smoked pork roast should have a nice bark on the outside that will get mixed into the shredded meat after is has cooked. To make this pork taco recipe a little more like traditional carnitas, we need to do that in batches with a cast iron skillet. 

So, heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add just a little cooking oil. Add a pile of shredded pork and move it around until you have browned the edges of the pork and developed that texture. This is also perfect for leftovers! 

Recommended Cooking Supplies

1. Wireless meat thermometer 
2. Dutch oven with lid or disposable aluminum tray
3. Fat Separator
4. Cast Iron Pan

Great Toppings and Extras to Include

• Warm tortillas - either toasted corn tortillas or flour tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• Sour Cream or cotija cheese
• pickled red onion
• lime wedges
• salsa verde

Reheating Cooked Pulled Pork

Two great options for the next time you want to heat up a batch of cold leftovers. 

1. In a large cast iron skillet or saute pan as mentioned above.
2. In the oven on a baking sheet set to 375F for 20-30 minutes or until it has reached 140F.

Saving Leftovers in the Fridge

After the meat has cooled, transfer leftovers to an airtight container and save in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.