These Slow Cooker Pork Tacos are mouthwateringly fantastic! Top them with with Pickled Onions, Shredded Cheese, and Cilantro Lime Crema drizzled all over! You get the salty and smoky flavor from the perfectly seasoned and slow cooked pork, a sweet and tart bite from the pickled onions, with creaminess from the cheese, and tang from the cilantro lime crema.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword carnitas, pickled onions, pork, tacos
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 8 hourshours
Total Time 8 hourshours15 minutesminutes
Servings 12Tacos
Calories 588kcal
Author Carrie Tyler
Ingredients
Pickled Onions
1Large red onion
2CupsWhite or Red wine vinegar
6tablespoonWhite sugaror honey
1teaspoonCumin Powder
Pork Filling
2LbsPork Stew Meat
2ClovesGarlic, minced
2CupsChicken Broth
1tablespoonGround cumin
1tablespoonChili powder
1teaspoonSalt
1teaspoonGround Black Pepper
Cilantro Lime Crema
1CupSour Cream
2Limes
4tablespoonFresh Cilantro, chopped
¼teaspoonSalt
Other Taco Ingredients
126" Corn Tortillas
6ozShredded Cheddar
4Fresh Scallions
2tablespoonFresh Cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Pickled Onions (you can make these 1-4 nights in advance)
Cut the red onion in half and then thinly slice and separate thin slices into a bowl that is large enough to cover the onion with the pickling liquid.
In a saucepan, bring 2 cups white vinegar, 6 Tbls sugar (or honey), and cumin powder to a boil and then turn off the heat and stir to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
Pour the hot mixture over the onions and push onions down to make sure they are completely covered by the liquid. Let sit until up to room temperature, then place in refrigerator until ready to use.
Once the onions have cooled in the fridge and pickled for a few hours, I like to transfer them into storage jars for use in a variety of dishes, such as salads, sandwiches, with meats, etc.
Make Pork filling in Slow Cooker (make months ahead and freeze or up to 4 days before)
Mince the garlic
To the slow cooker pot, add the pork, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Fill with chicken broth starting with 1 cup and pouring enough to cover the pork. Set slow cooker to 8 hours.
Tortillas
Once pork is done, wrap 12 tortillas in aluminum foil & place in a 300 F degree oven for 10 minutes. Turn off oven & let stay in oven until ready to eat
Make Cilantro Lime Crema (make up to 3 days before)
Add sour cream to small bowl
Zest both limes and add the zest to the sour cream. Then quarter the limes and add the juice from 3 quarters into sour cream & mix to combine until smooth. Taste and if needed add juice from ¼ more of the lime at a time tasting as you add to make sure it doesn't get to acidic.
Add 1 teaspoon chopped Cilantro and salt to taste to crema
Put it all together!
Chop some fresh cilantro for garnish. TIP: you can also snip it off the stem with kitchen scissors!
For the pork, you will want to make sure to drain out the liquid so the tacos are not soggy. I like to store the shredded pork in the liquid as well as heat it up in the liquid, so I do not discard it, but rather drain it when serving.
Layer the tortillas with pork, then pickled onions, then cheese, then Cilantro lime crema, then fresh chopped Cilantro. Enjoy!