Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos

After stumbling upon the recipe for the best salsa ever the other day I knew that I had to change my dinner plans so that I had an excuse to eat more and so Brad (my husband) could indulge also. I had a pork roast in the fridge and I was planning on making my much-loved Crock Pot Pulled Pork. We had some leftover sandwich buns in the house that needed to be used and we hadn't had pork in a while so that was the plan for dinner. (Argh! Ever notice how much waste is created when you are cooking for 2? I don't need 8 hamburger buns for one dinner?!? Ugh, rant over.)

Anyway, I still wanted to use the pork for dinner but wanted to use it in a way that would allow us to also have the salsa with it. I immediately thought of Moe's. Brad and I love, love, love Moe's. It is an unfortunate obsession. In college, we easily ate there 2-3 times a week. The food was great and so cheap and the queso was to die for! When we started going, Moe's was still relatively small and didn't have a huge selection for their proteins, just chicken, steak and tofu. But they have added more meats (much to Brad's delight) and he likes to experiment. In the last year or so, Brad he really gotten into their pulled pork tacos and gets at least one every time he goes.

So I thought pulled pork tacos sounded perfect and immediately set about Googling for a recipe. I wanted to prepare the pork on the simpler side so that we could used the leftovers for different applications without the flavors clashing. I found a great recipe where I could do that and use salsa that I had just made. Perfect!

The verdict? Super easy and very tasty. Brad and I were both very pleased by the texture of the pork. It was so tender and just fell apart. There was no gnawing on the taco to get the pork to come with it. Nope, just one easy bite! Hurray! Another win for the slow cooker!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos
(Recipe adapted from Real Simple)

2 cups salsa (I used homemade but you could easily use store-bought)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 2 1/2-pound boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork and turn to coat. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours. When the pork is done cooking, lift it carefully out of the slow cooker and place it on a large cutting-board. Shred the pork by pulling it apart with 2 forks. If you would like to add moisture, spoon some of the cooking liquid over the pork and toss.

Serve over the tortillas and add whatever taco fixings you desire. For me it was cilantro, sour cream, lime, shredded cheddar cheese and, of course, extra salsa.

Enjoy!
~Layne