Pulled-Pork Tacos in the Slow-Cooker {Naptime Entertaining}
My Day So Far: The usual Tuesday morning mayhem with the added bonus of a colossal yogurt smoothie spill at breakfast.
Naptime Goals: Get the pulled-pork stewing, send document to certain someone for special Naptime Chef project to be announced soon (!)
Tonight’s Meal: Pulled-pork tacos with all the fixings, molasses cookies for dessert.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Keeping two-year old’s occupied indoors on winter days is next to impossible – break out a bunches of toys and hope for the best!
It is an unwritten rule in my house that when the temperature hovers in the single digits at high noon it is time to rev up the slow-cooker. This useful piece of machinery is apt to be simmering away in our house many times throughout the fall, winter and spring, but it is especially relevant during deep freezes. The slow-cooker is my go-to method for tenderizing meat and making thick hearty stews – exactly the kind of food we rely on to keep us warm while be wait out the cold.
My husband is a real meat and potatoes guy and lately we’ve been eating a lot of beef and chicken. When we spotted pulled-pork on a menu recently we realized that we hadn’t had it in months, it seemed like the perfect thing to refresh our menu. Then, as if we weren’t excited enough for dinner already, the temperature in our neighborhood plummeted to a balmy 10ºF where it was predicted to stay for five whole days. This was all the convincing I needed, I picked up the pork at the store and broke out the jar of Williams-Sonoma Pulled-Pork Starter my mother gave us for Christmas.
We’ve made pulled-pork marinade before as well, and I’ve included that recipe below. But, I’ll have to say, the Williams-Sonoma mix was delicious. After simmering for hours – I started the process during my daughter’s afternoon naptime and it was ready by 6pm – the pork shredded beautifully and was tender to the bite with a mellow spicy sweet flavor. In the interest of variety we decided to forgo the usual pulled-pork sandwich and make tacos instead. We set-up a nice little station of condiments, warmed up some flour tortillas and went to town wrapping the meat with sour cream, avocado, cheese and lettuce. With a side of spanish rice we had a perfect meal
Since taco night is a popular occasion in many households I encourage families to think about pulled-pork the next time they pick up a fresh bag of tortillas. I promise, you will love the salty sweet meat topped with your favorite fixings, and the kiddos will, too. My daughter is still a bit of skeptic when it comes to wrapped foods, but she was thrilled with her little pocket of sweet pork, devouring it in just a few bites. Also, if you don’t have a slow-cooker don’t worry, this pulled-pork can be made in a dutch oven and I’ve included those instructions below as well.
Recipe
Pulled-Pork Marinade
loosely adapted from Good Housekeeping a while back
Ingredients
Serves 2 – recipe can be doubled or tripled easily
| 1.5 lbs | boneless pork roast |
| 3 T. | vegetable oil |
| ½ c. | onion, chopped |
| ¼ c. | ketchup |
| ¼ c. | red wine vinegar |
| 2 T. | tomato paste |
| ¼ c. | light brown sugar, packed |
| 1 T. | paprika |
| 2 T. | Worcestershire sauce |
| 1 | pinch crushed red pepper flakes |
| 1 t. | Kosher Salt |
| 1 t. | freshly ground black pepper |
Instructions
1. In a deep bottom saucepan heat the oil over medium heat until just smoking. Add the pork roast and sear all sides of the pork, including the ends. This will take about 1-2 minutes per side.
2. In a bowl mix the onion, ketchup, tomato paste, sugar, paprika, red pepper, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Add the seared pork to this mixture and coat the pork completely.
3. Add the pork and all of the sauce to the slow-cooker and turn it on per the manufacturers directions. Cook pork for 6-7 hours, or until pork is very tender and cooked through.
4. When pork has completed cooking remove it from the slow-cooker to a cutting board. Shred the meat with a sharp fork. Reserve any sauce from the cooker to drizzle over cooked pork if desired.
Dutch Oven Method: Complete steps 1 and 2. Then, place sauce and pork in a dutch oven. Heat the oven to 325ºF and cook for 3 – 3.5 hours, or until pork is cooked through. Continue with step 4.
Pulled-Pork Taco Toppings
1 package of tortillas
Sour Cream
Avocado, or Guacamole
Sliced Red Onions
Shredded Sharp Cheddar
Shredded Lettuce
1. Place the shredded pork in wraps and top with whatever you’d like!
Naptime Notes
Naptime Recipe Serving ideas
Taco night is a classic and this is a great new twist on a taco bar. In the mood to keep it healthy? Add bowls of fresh chopped vegetables on the side for toppings, or you can go with our slightly creamier toppings of sour cream and avocado.
Naptime Stopwatch
Preparing the marinading and turning on the slow-cooker takes all of 10 minutes, then just let it do it’s stuff while you happily go about the rest of your day.
Naptime Reviews
This is a kid-friendly dish if there ever was one. The best part? Save the leftovers and enjoy delicious pulled-pork sandwiches for lunch or dinner the following day!
Cold and snowy here, your timing for a slow cooker meal is perfect! I have a jar of that starter in my pantry, it's time to give it a try. We returned from Florida last night with three sick children. This meal will be a help as I spend my day ferrying medicine to and fro, adjusting the humidifier and holding fever wracked babies.
Cold and snowy here, your timing for a slow cooker meal is perfect! I have a jar of that starter in my pantry, it's time to give it a try. We returned from Florida last night with three sick children. This meal will be a help as I spend my day ferrying medicine to and fro, adjusting the humidifier and holding fever wracked babies.
I hope you are planning a cookbook, as I have so many of your recipes as cc's pasted over my fridge…This is going to be on our table over the weekend. Thanks!
I hope you are planning a cookbook, as I have so many of your recipes as cc's pasted over my fridge…This is going to be on our table over the weekend. Thanks!
Love tacos and love using my slow cooker as well! Honestly, though I've never had pulled pork in a taco, but I will try this!Wonder what you have in the works?
Love tacos and love using my slow cooker as well! Honestly, though I've never had pulled pork in a taco, but I will try this!
Wonder what you have in the works?
Great idea to use the slow cooker with pork for tacos. I just posted something similar in sandwiches for Super Bowl but will definitely be trying your recipe someday! Makes me hungry…
Great idea to use the slow cooker with pork for tacos. I just posted something similar in sandwiches for Super Bowl but will definitely be trying your recipe someday! Makes me hungry…
🙂 🙂 🙂
🙂 🙂 🙂
oh looks wonderful
oh looks wonderful
We did this last night and it was a big hit! The barbecue sauce goes really well with the tacos! I'm keeping this under my belt for future taco nights.
We did this last night and it was a big hit! The barbecue sauce goes really well with the tacos! I'm keeping this under my belt for future taco nights.
is a pork loin the same as pork roast? Probably a silly question!
Hi! Pork loin can definitely be used in this recipe! 🙂
I just wanted to tell you that we love this meal! It has become a regular at our house. It is so easy to prepare and everyone in the family loves it!
I am so glad to hear this Becky, enjoy it!
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