These crockpot shredded pork tacos are one of our favorite quick weeknight meals and one of our staple easy crockpot meals when we just don’t have time to cook.
One of our goals this summer is to eat out less. We spend so much money on food and it’s not because we like to eat out. Honestly, I’m so sick of the restaurants near us and would love to cook dinner at home every single night just so I don’t have to eat another Asian chicken salad this summer. The problem is that neither my husband or I have time to cook dinner when it’s actually dinner time. That’s why these shredded pork tacos are perfect; we throw the pork in the crockpot a couple of hours before dinner and when dinner time rolls around, we have a delicious meal that came from our own kitchen instead of the neighborhood fast food restaurant.
This recipe was inspired by some of the most amazing tacos we’ve ever had on our trip to the Tampa, Florida area earlier this year. Their pork (and chicken) were so good that we actually made a trip back to Anna Maria Island on our last day (an hour drive) just so that we could eat lunch there again. Hands down the best quesadilla I’ve ever had in my life.
My husband brined the pork tenderloin for a couple of hours the night before and then just threw the meat in the crockpot with a couple of seasonings and let it cook until it just fell apart into perfectly shredded pork. We used an original ALWAYS TENDER® pork loin filet but they also have pre-marinated pork loins and pork roasts that would work great in the crockpot as well.
These shredded pork tacos are great for summer entertaining. Just set up a build your taco station outside with the meat, grilled corn, black beans, fresh cilantro, fresh cabbage, and anything else you like on your tacos. Serve with a refreshing drink like my citrus strawberry mocktail, and you have the perfect outdoor dinner party meal.
Shredded Pork Tacos
Ingredients
Pork Brine
- 2 lbs pork tenderloin
- 7 cups cold water
- ¼ cup kosher salt
Shredded Pork
- 6 cloves garlic , peeled and crushed
- 6 celery stalks (including the leaves), large diced
- 1 medium carrot , peeled, sliced, and large diced
- 3 T coconut oil (or other cooking oil)
- 2 T ground coriander
- 2 cups chicken broth
Pork Tacos
- 8 flour or corn tortillas
- 12 oz shredded cheese
- other taco toppings
Instructions
- Microwave one cup hot water for 3 minutes or until very hot then pour water into large bowl with lid.
- Add kosher salt to hot water and let water dissolve.1/4 cup kosher salt
- Add 7 cups cold water to mixture so the final water mixture is cold.7 cups cold water
- Cut pork tenderloin into 1 1/2 inch thick pieces then add all of the pieces to the water.
- Cover pork bowl with lid and allow to brine for 8-12 hours.
- Once pork is brined, remove from brine, rinse to get rid of brine, and pat dry.
- Add 3 T coconut oil to pan on high heat and sear pork tenderloin pieces in pan until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.2 lbs pork tenderloin, 3 T coconut oil
- Add celery, carrot, and garlic to pan and cook until veggies are caramelized.6 cloves garlic, 6 celery stalks, 1 medium carrot
- Add chicken broth to veggie pan and mix together.2 cups chicken broth
- Pour the entire veggie mixture into a crockpot.
- Add the coriander to the crockpot and mix until well combined.2 T ground coriander
- Add the pork to the crockpot and cook for 2 1/2 – 3 hours on high until pork is completely cooked.
- Remove pork from crockpot and shred into small pieces.
- While shredding, reduce the mixture in the crockpot slightly. Put the shredded pork back into its juices and allow to soak up the juice to add tenderness.
- For the tacos, top each tortilla with shredded pork, cheese, and any other taco toppings you want.8 flour or corn tortillas, 12 oz shredded cheese, other taco toppings
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