These Pulled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Slaw bring the best of sweet, smoky, and spicy to your plate. The pork is fall-apart tender, seasoned with a smoky spice blend and slow-cooked until juicy, then tossed in your favorite barbecue sauce. Paired with a crisp, tropical slaw full of pineapple, jalapeño, and green onion, these tacos are anything but ordinary.
If you’re feeding a crowd or just want killer leftovers, this recipe delivers. You can make the pork in the oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot. Whatever works for your schedule. The pineapple slaw keeps well in the fridge, and the tacos come together fast once everything’s prepped.
We’re serving them with a Mexican Street Corn Salad that’s crunchy and packed with flavor from the cotija cheese, cilantro, and mayo.
Helpful Tips
- Use any cooking method you like: This recipe can be made in the Crock Pot, Instant Pot, or a dutch oven.
- Trim the pork before cooking: Removing big chunks of fat makes shredding easier and keeps the final mix from being greasy.
- Use fresh pineapple: It gives the slaw a juicy pop that canned pineapple just can’t match.
- Warm your tortillas: A quick toast in a dry skillet or on the grill makes the tacos feel more finished and brings out the flavor.
You Might Also Like
Pulled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Slaw
Ingredients
- 3 pound boneless pork shoulder or butt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder mild to hot
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Juice of one orange plus rind divided
- 1/2 cup water for slow cooker and Instant Pot
- 1/2 onion cut into chunks
- 20 small corn tortillas
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
For the Pineapple slaw:
- 1 bag pre-shredded cabbage
- 1 cup fresh pineapple diced
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the pork shoulder into 4” chunks (remove large pieces of excess fat).
- Mix together the olive oil, paprika, brown sugar, salt, chili powder, garlic powder and 2 teaspoons orange juice, to form a paste. Coat the pork with the paste.
- You can cook the pork in a Dutch oven, slow cooker or Instant Pot (pressure cooker).
- For all methods, place the pork in the cooking vessel, pour in ½ cup water, onion chunks, and orange rind. Put the lid on.
- For the Dutch oven, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Roast for about 3.5 to 4 hours, or until the pork is very tender and pulls apart easily.For the slow cooker, cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, until the pork is tender.For the Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release (this take 15-20 minutes).
- Remove the pork from the cooking vessel and shred.
- In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the pineapple slaw. Stir well. Refrigerate until needed.
- Heat up the tortillas, top with shredded pork, and pineapple slaw. Garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition
Laura is a home cook, with 25 years experience behind the stove, who spends an extraordinary amount of time in the kitchen cooking. She loves making new recipes and finding wonderful new things to eat, both at home or abroad. She spends a lot of time researching, crafting, and perfecting her recipes.