Pulled pork, isn’t that cooked on a BBQ pit or smoker? Well yes, that is true, and you can make some really incredible meals by slow cooking a Boston Butt Roast that way.

But sometimes you just want to put your roast in the slow cooker and let it do all the work. After you try this recipe you’ll soon find that it produced an almost equally delicious and super-tender roast.

One more thing, this recipe uses more of a dry-rub technique with simple seasonings found around the house that go well with pork tacos. There are a million different ways you can season or sauce your roast, and I encourage you to use your favorites with this recipe.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos

Serving Size: 10-12 servings

Cooking: Easy

Prep Time: 45 min.

Cook Time: 6 hours

Ingredients

• 2.5 pound Boston Butt Roast
• ½ medium red onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• Smoked paprika
• Ground red pepper
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Ground cumin

Pico de Gallo:

• 8 grape tomatoes
• ¼ red onion
• ⅛ cup minced cilantro
• ½ red bell pepper
• ¼ lime for juice
• Salt & pepper to taste

Taco Assembly:

• White corn street tacos
• Shredded lettuce
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Directions:

1.) Remove Butt Roast from package, rinse, and pat dry. As with most roasts, with pulled pork, quality certainly matters. If you’re able, source your meat from farms that pasture raised their animals. When it comes to pork, pasture-raising adds more fat that breaks down during the roasting process and adds flavor to the roast.

2.) Liberally season the outside of the roast with sea salt, black pepper, and ground cumin.

3.) Next, add red pepper for your preferable level of spice. The inside of your pulled pork will not be very spicy, but later when you “pull” the pork outside pieces will be mixed with inside pieces and add a kick.

4.) Rub the seasoning in with your hands. The more seasoning on the outside the better. When your roast is covered in seasoning, wrap it in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. This will marinade the meat and add more flavor to your taco meat. 

5.) Remove the roast from plastic wrap and let set for about 30 minutes. This will allow the roast to warm up to room temperature and will help cook more evenly from the beginning. Place in slow cooker & top with sliced onions and diced garlic.

6.) Set slow cooker on the low setting (medium heat on slow cookers with 3 levels) for 6 hours.

6.) After 4 hours, check for doneness regularly, every 30 minutes or so. When you check, baste the roast with it’s juices using a spoon or ladle.

8.) The roast is done with you can easily pull the pork apart with two forks. It should be very tender, so be patient.

9.) When the roast is done, remove from heat, cover with aluminum foil and let set for 20 minutes.

10.) Remove foil and use two forks to pull pork apart, shredding it to your desired level.

11.) Spoon some of the remaining juices from the slow cooker onto the shredded pork.

Pico de Gallo Directions:

1.) Dice onion, grape tomatoes, red bell pepper and mix in container with lid.

2.) Mince fresh cilantro and add to vegetables.

3.) Squeeze lime over mixture, put on lid, and gently shake to combine flavors.

4.) Salt & pepper to taste.

Taco Assembly:

1.) Add freshly shredded/pulled pork on tortilla.

2.) Top with lettuce, cheese, fresh pico de gallo, sour cream, and any other toppings or sauces you like, and enjoy!

Keto or Paleo Friendly Version

To eliminate processed tortillas and carbohydrates, make your pulled pork “taco” in a bowl or salad using the same ingredients instead of on a tortilla.