Best Mexican Pulled Pork Recipes

AUTHENTIC COCHINITA PIBIL (SPICY MEXICAN PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Combine the onion, habanero peppers, lime juice, and salt in a bowl; cover and refrigerate while preparing and cooking the pork. Use rubber gloves when preparing the habanero peppers and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or skin while slicing peppers.
• Place the guajillo peppers in a bowl; pour enough hot water over the peppers to cover. Allow to soak until the peppers are softened, about 10 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet at medium-high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper; cook in the hot oil until completely browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pork to a slow cooker.
• Combine the guajillo peppers, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, and achiote paste in a blender; blend until smooth. Pour the sauce over the pork cubes in the slow cooker.
• Cook on High until the pork easily falls apart, 6 to 8 hours. Remove the pork to a serving dish and shred with 2 forks. Pour the achiote sauce over the shredded pork. To serve, top with the onion-habanero salsa.

MEXICAN PULLED PORK TACOS

Steps:

• Put the marinade ingredients in a large, zip-seal freezer bag and squish until well combined. Add the pork and onion, ensuring they're well coated. Seal and put in the fridge overnight.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Transfer the pork and its marinade to a medium casserole dish. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 4-5 hrs or until the pork is very tender and falls apart when poked with a fork.
• To make the pickled onions, put the sliced red onions in a heatproof bowl. Cover with just-boiled water and leave to stand for 10 mins. Drain well, then stir in the white wine vinegar or cider vinegar and caster sugar. Stand for at least 10 mins before serving.
• Drain the pork in a colander, reserving the marinade, then transfer the pork to a board. Shred the pork with two forks, drizzle over 4-5 tbsp of the reserved marinade, and serve from the board with the pickled red onions, warmed corn tacos, shredded lettuce and soured cream.

SLOW COOKER MEXICAN PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Trim and discard fat from pork roast. Place pork in a slow cooker and add chicken broth until pork is 75% covered with liquid. Add quartered limes, onion, garlic, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
• Cook on Low for 7 to 8 hours, until pork can easily be shredded. Pull pork apart with 2 forks and remove and discard any additional fat. Transfer shredded pork to a pot.
• Place pot on the stovetop and add salsa, green chiles, and 2 cups liquid from the slow cooker. Bring to a light boil. Add cumin, reduce heat to low, and simmer for at least 20 minutes.

MEXICAN PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Place pork, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, and salt in a large saucepan. Simmer, covered, until all the liquid has cooked off and the pork cooks in its own rendered fat, 45 to 50 minutes. Add lard if there is not enough fat, so pork cooks to a golden brown. Set aside.
• Place the guajillo and ancho chiles in a small saucepan with 1 cup water. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add parsley, garlic, oregano, and cumin; puree.
• Add the pureed mixture to the pork. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the pork is tender and can easily be cut with a fork, about 1 hour. It may be necessary to add another cup of water to the pan, depending on the tenderness of the meat.
• Let pork rest for 15 minutes. Shred with 2 forks.

COCHINITA PIBIL (MEXICAN PULLED PORK IN ANNATTO SAUCE)

Steps:

• Combine achiote paste, white onion, garlic, orange juice, lemon juice, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, and 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano in a blender; blend marinade until smooth.
• Rub pork with salt and pepper and place in a pressure cooker. Add lard and pour marinade over pork. Add 2 cups water. Close cooker securely and place pressure regulator over vent according to manufacturer's instructions. Heat to High heat until steam escapes in a steady flow and makes a whistling sound, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low or low. Cook for 45 minutes from the start of the whistling sound. Let pressure release naturally according to manufacturer's instructions, 5 to 10 minutes. Unlock lid and transfer pork to a large platter.
• Prepare the habanero sauce while the meat is cooking. Combine red onion and habanero chiles in a gravy boat. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup white vinegar, and warm water. Season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano and mix until everything is well combined.
• Shred meat with 2 forks and return to the pressure cooker with the cooking juices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook uncovered until cooking juices have reduced, about 30 minutes. Serve with habanero sauce.

PORK MACHACA (TENDER PULLED MEXICAN PORK)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a stockpot and simmer until fork tender-this can take from 3-4 hours.
• Can be made in a crock pot also-decrease liquid by about 1/2, bouillon powder by 1/3, and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or until tender as above).
• When tender, remove from heat and allow meat to cool in the broth until cool enough to handle (this will keep the meat moist).
• Shred (or "pull") either with forks or by hand.
• Place in storage container and add some of the broth to moisten; refrigerate until needed.
• Reheat either in microwave, or in saucepan; use a little of the juice to keep it moist.
• For the Mexican-flavored pot roast, don't shred-slice fairly thick (about 1/2"), and make a gravy by thickening some of the juice with either cornstarch or roux (sorry, you'll have to thicken by sight; tough to give an exact quantity for that); serve with plain steamed rice/boiled potatoes and a vegetable-broccoli and/or carrots come to mind first. Leftovers make great open-faced hot sandwiches.
• For soup, take broth and add some onions, carrots, celery, an extra bit of canned diced tomato (you can use almost anything for veggies depending on what you like/have on hand), some of the pork meat and posole (or hominy); simmer until tender and add shredded cabbage; cook another 15 minutes. Serve with hot tortillas and a salad for a complete meal.
• Can also be made as beef machaca by using bottom (outside) round, chuck, or brisket; replace chicken bouillon powder with beef.

SOUS VIDE CARNITAS FOR TACOS (CRISPY MEXICAN-STYLE PULLED PORK) RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine pork, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves in a large bowl. Split orange into quarters and squeeze juice into bowl before adding rest of orange. Season generously with kosher salt and toss to combine. Transfer contents to a vacuum bag and seal. When ready to cook, set sous vide cooker to desired temperature according to chart above. Add bag to sous vide bath and cook for recommended time according to chart above. Make sure to top water up occasionally as it evaporates, and keep bag completely submerged. If bag floats, weigh it down by placing a wet kitchen towel on top of it. Alternatively, use a heavy-duty binder clip to attach a metal spoon or knife to bottom of bag as a weight. When meat is cooked, remove from water bath and transfer contents of bag to a large bowl. Pick out chunks of meat with a set of tongs and transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet. (Discard aromatics and excess liquid, or reserve liquid and blend it in with your salsa.) When it is cool enough to handle, shred meat roughly using 2 forks or your fingers. Spread evenly over baking sheet. Pork can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 5 days before serving. When ready to serve, adjust an oven rack to 3 inches below the broiler element and preheat broiler to high. Place pork under broiler and cook, using a spoon to flip pieces occasionally, until meat is browned and crisp on most sides, about 10 minutes total. Alternatively, working in batches, heat carnitas in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve carnitas with warm tortillas, lime wedges, chopped onion and cilantro, and salsa.

MEXICAN PULLED PORK-CARNITAS(ATK)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 300°F Trim the pork roast to remove most of the fat (leave some on); cut into 2″x2″ cubes. Place into an oven safe saucepan or Dutch oven along with the onion, orange, lime juice, bay leaves, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and water. Place on the stove over medium-high heat and bring up to a full simmer, stirring occasionally. Place a lid on the saucepan and move it to the middle lower rack of your oven. Bake at 300F for 2 hours, or until pork is fork tender (if you poke it with a fork, it easily slides off the fork). Remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven to broil. Using a slotted spoon, move the pork into a bowl and strain the liquid, placing it back into the pan for a glaze. Reduce the liquid over medium-high heat until the liquid reduces to about one cup.
• Using two forks, pull each chunk of pork into two pieces, placing them back into the bowl. Toss with the reduced glaze to coat all pieces evenly; season with salt and pepper to taste. Place a baking rack onto a rimmed cookie sheet or a baking pan with raised sides (to contain any liquids). Place pork chunks onto the baking rack so that the juices will drip onto the baking sheet, about 1″ apart. Put the baking sheet back into the oven on the lower-middle rack and allow to broil for 5-8 minutes, or until the meat starts to crisp on the top. Remove from the oven, flip all pork pieces, and place back in the oven to broil for an additional 5-8 minutes on the second side, or until edges are crisp but not burned.
• Remove the meat from the oven. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top and give it a sprinkle of salt. Serve with warm flour tortillas, guacamole, minced red onion, cilantro, salsa and sour cream. The result: pulled pork so tender it melts in your mouth, with crispy broiled edges that will make your heart sing. The addition of fresh lime juice and salt at the end really perks it up. Leftover pork (if there is any) would be awesome as a filling for enchiladas, tamales, or burritos.

PULLED PORK WITH MEXICAN ALMOND MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a casserole dish. Brown the pork for about 10 mins until golden all over, stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min. Pour over the chicken stock, then add the strips of orange zest and juice, cinnamon and thyme. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, then cover and simmer for 1½ hrs.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat a non-stick frying pan and dry-fry the onions and whole garlic cloves for about 5 mins, turning often until softened and lightly charred all over. Tip into a blender. Add the tomatoes to the pan. Cook for 3 mins until starting to blister and char, then tip into the blender. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan. Fry 1 of the tortillas for 1 min on each side until golden. Tear into pieces and tip into the blender. Adding more oil if you need, fry the almonds for 3 mins until golden. Add to the blender. Finally add the raisins, coriander and cumin to the pan and cook for 1-2 mins until the raisins are plump. Add these to the blender along with the chipotle paste and finely chopped chocolate. Whizz together until a rough paste forms.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pan to a board, leave to cool a little, then use forks or your fingers to tear into shreds. Remove the cinnamon, orange zest and thyme sprigs from the pan and discard. Pour a little of the cooking liquid into the blender, then carefully whizz together with the mole sauce. Tip sauce into the pan with the rest of the pork cooking juices. Simmer on the hob for 10-15 mins, then return the shredded pork to the pan and cook for 20 mins more. Season to taste. Can be made up to this point up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge or frozen for up to 3 months.
• Just before serving, microwave the tortillas for 1 min to warm them. Toss together all the salsa ingredients and season well. Set everything out on the table. To serve, spoon some of the pork mole onto a tortilla, top with some salsa, then roll up and eat.

MEXICAN PULLED PORK - YUCATAN STYLE

Steps:

• 1. Using a sharp knife, deeply pierce the flesh of the pork and insert garlic pieces evenly all over the roast.
• 2. Combine Achiote paste, cilantro, olive oil, cumin, salt, chile powder, pepper, liquid smoke, cloves, allspice, and oregano in a bowl and mix together to form a marinade 'paste'.
• 3. Cover pork generously with the seasoning paste. Use it all even if it looks like a lot! Marinade overnight in the refrigerator.
• 4. Place pork in a shallow foil tray - fat side up - and cook indirectly (meaning the burner(s) directly under the pork are not on, but the others are, and the top is down) on the grill for about 4 hours or until internal temp of about 160 degrees is reached. If using a smaller size roast, reduce the grill time accordingly - just monitor the internal temp.
• 5. Cover pork (still in its foil tray!) in aluminum foil and leave on the grill for another 60-75 minutes or until internal temp of 195 is reached. This is key - in order to be able to 'shred' pork from a shoulder you need to get the internal temp up to 195. I find those last 30-40 degrees seem to take forever, so I cover with foil to accelerate after it gets to 160. DON'T turn up the grill temperature - that won't work :)!
• 6. Remove from the grill after reaching 195 degrees and let rest under foil for 10 mins - retain pan drippings.
• 7. Remove and discard fat and skin and 'shred' the pork into thin strings by pulling it apart with a couple of forks. If you don't get it to 195 degrees, then it won't shred and you'll have to chop it - not a horrible thing, but not as good! Pour about half the pan drippings back over the shredded pork, mix, and serve with warm tortillas your favorite Latin condiments! Enjoy

MEXICAN PULLED PORK (TINGA PUEBLANA)

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Add the salt, bring to a boil and cook until tender, 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside. Place the pork in a large pot of cold water. Add the onion half, the garlic, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently until the pork is cooked through and is no longer pink in the center, about 45 minutes. Remove the pork from the water and set it aside until it is cool enough to handle (discard the cooking liquid). Using your fingers or 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces and set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute crumbled chorizo until completely cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to a paper towel lined plate. Add the chopped onions to the chorizo skillet and cook until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the shredded pork, the tomatoes, and the chipotle chiles. Cook until the tomatoes break down and release their juices, about 5 minutes. Return the potatoes and cooked chorizo to the pan. Stir in the vinegar, thyme, marjoram and salt, to taste. Continue to cook over medium heat until some of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. While the pork cooks, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tortilla and warm for 10 to 15 seconds. Flip the tortilla over and continue to warm until the tortilla is pliable and heated through, another 10 to 20 seconds. Place warm tortillas in a tortilla warmer or on a plate, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside; repeat with the remaining tortillas (or warm the tortillas in the microwave: stack them on a plate and cover with a damp cloth; microwave for 30 seconds and keep them covered until you're ready to serve).

CROCKPOT MEXICAN PULLED PORK

Steps:

• trim the visible fat from the pork.
• place 1 can tomatoes on the bottom of the crockpot,follow w/ pork,garlic and onion,sprinkle the taco seasoning evenly on the top,then cover w/ cilantro.(note:this can be done the night before,just leave it in the fridge,the flavor will blend!).
• cook on high for the 1st 3 hrs and on low for another 5 hours.
• remove the pork and shred it,return to the crockpot,mix w/ juice.

MEXICAN PULLED PORK (TINGA PUEBLANA)

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Add the salt, bring to a boil and cook until tender, 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
• Place the pork in a large pot of cold water. Add the onion half, the garlic, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently until the pork is cooked through and is no longer pink in the center, about 45 minutes. Remove the pork from the water and set it aside until it is cool enough to handle (discard the cooking liquid). Using your fingers or 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces and set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute crumbled chorizo until completely cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to a paper towel lined plate. Add the chopped onions to the chorizo skillet and cook until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the shredded pork, the tomatoes, and the chipotle chiles. Cook until the tomatoes break down and release their juices, about 5 minutes. Return the potatoes and cooked chorizo to the pan. Stir in the vinegar, thyme, marjoram and salt, to taste. Continue to cook over medium heat until some of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
• While the pork cooks, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tortilla and warm for 10 to 15 seconds. Flip the tortilla over and continue to warm until the tortilla is pliable and heated through, another 10 to 20 seconds. Place warm tortillas in a tortilla warmer or on a plate, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside; repeat with the remaining tortillas (or warm the tortillas in the microwave: stack them on a plate and cover with a damp cloth; microwave for 30 seconds and keep them covered until you're ready to serve).
• Place the pulled pork in a serving bowl or bring to the table in the cooking pot. Arrange the limes, avocado, and cilantro on a platter. Pass warm tortillas so each diner can fill a tortilla with some of the meat and accompaniments. Squeeze lime juice over each serving.

THE CARNITAS RECIPE(MEXICAN PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Alright first thing you got to do is rinse off and dry your pork butt and trim any excess fat hanging off of it and the fat cap to less then half an inch most of the time it is already done but if not that is what you are looking for.
• Mix up the dry rub I will put it in a shaker to make it easier to coat the butt. this would be a good time to chop up your choppables. Most of the time I slice the onion and Serranos then mince or press the garlic really this is your choice don't think it batters much but I will leave that up to you.
• Rub the pork butt with olive oil and coat with all the dry rub make sure to work it into the meat and get into the crevasses.
• Place the pork butt in a crock pot throw the onions garlic and Serrano peppers on top.
• Pour the orange juice over the top toss on the lid and let her cook.
• Ok let me throw this out there if you do not own a crock pot or yours is not big enough to fit a 5 or six pound pork butt you could either throw this together in a Dutch oven or if you don't have that either, which by the way you should they make great family heirlooms, use a roaster and put in the oven pre-heated to 275 degrees ferinheit.
• Now we wait should take about 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low in the crockpot. In the oven should take about 5 hours you could shave that time down by raising the heat but I wouldn't it's worth the wait, if you decide to up the heat don't go past 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Trick time the thing that makes for getting this right isn't waiting a certain amount of time. You will know it is done when you can grab the bone in the center of the pork butt and when you give it a twist I comes right out of the meat easy and clean. That's all you need to know not to every under or over cook a pork but again.
• When the bone comes out clean remove the meat from the crock pot/ Dutch oven/ roaster and wrap up tight in foil to rest for at least half an hour and you can comfortably handle the pork bare handed. This is the time to shred the pork.
• Now what makes this so good is after the pork is shredded heat some oil in a pan and fry up the pork to get it crisp splash it with the drippings from the pan from time to time really adds good flavor. Throw this on a good roll and skip the BBQ sauce instead throw some Pico De Gallo and some avocado on top.

MEXICAN PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Heat oil in large pan until hot.
• Add pork, stir until browned.
• Add onion, garlic and chilies, cook and stir until onions are tender.
• Add all spices and stir.
• Add enough water to just cover meat.
• Put in crock-pot on Hi for 6-8 hours until meat shreds. (You can help it by pulling meat apart with forks or by pressing meat onto side of pan when almost done.).
• If not using crock-pot, simmer on top of stove on low heat for 3-4 hours until meat shreds, adding more water if needed to prevent sticking.
• Serve with taco shells or as burritos with beans, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

INSTANT POT CARNITAS (CRISPY MEXICAN PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Prepare Pork Shoulder Meat: Remove rind and bone from the pork shoulder meat. Cut pork shoulder meat into cubes (~2 inches). Keep the excess fat.
• Marinate Pork Shoulder Cubes: Place pork shoulder cubes & fat into the Instant Pot's inner pot. Season very generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Add 4 crushed garlic cloves, chopped onion, 1 tsp (2g) ground cumin, 1 tsp (2g) cinnamon powder, 2 bay leaves, 1 tbsp (15ml) light soy sauce, and juice (55ml) from 1 orange to the inner pot. Mix well and let the meat marinate for 20 minutes.
• Pressure Cook Pork Shoulder Cubes: Pour ~4/5 cup (200ml) unsalted chicken stock in the inner pot. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 30 minutes + 15 minutes Natural Release. Release the remaining pressure after 15 minutes and open the lid carefully.
• Crisp Pork Shoulder Cubes: Transfer the pork shoulder cubes onto a baking tray. Now is a good time to take a bite and see if the pork cubes are salty enough. If the pork cubes are not salty enough, add more kosher salt into the cooking liquid. Taste & adjust accordingly. Drizzle some of the cooking liquid on to each piece (The cooking liquid should be mostly fat. If not, mix ¼ cup (63ml) cooking liquid with 2 tbsp (30ml) of vegetable oil and drizzle over each piece of pork). The fat & oil will protect the meat from drying out and the surface will crisp faster.Place pork shoulder cubes under a broiler or the top rack of a preheated 450°F toaster oven until the surface is crisped. Roughly 8 - 10 minutes. Flip the pork shoulder cubes, drizzle each piece with more cooking liquid and place in the oven again until the surface is crisped.
• (Optional) Heat Corn Tortillas: If you are serving the Carnitas with corned tortillas, you can heat up the corn tortillas when the pork is browning in the oven.
• Serve and Enjoy: Place piping hot Carnitas on top of the warmed corn tortillas with a spoonful of salsa (Pico De Gallo). Serve immediately!

EASY PORK MACHACA (MEXICAN PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Put all ingredients in stock pot and simmer until fork tender (easily comes apart when fork is pulled through). This can take up to 4 hours, but start checking around 2 hours.
• When done, remove meat from pot to shred. Two long-tined forks work well for this. Shred all the meat, then return to liquid and reduce slightly- cooking over medium heat 10 minutes or so.
• Not only is this cooked meat delicious in burritos, tacos and over rice, but it freezes well for use later. If you have leftovers, be sure to pour any liquid from the pot in with the meat for storage- this will keep your leftovers flavorful and moist.
• To adapt for a slow cooker, use ~1 qt water and 5 tsp bullion. Cook on low 6-8 hours, then follow directions as above, turning slow cooker to high and heating shredded meat in cooking liquids 20 minutes or so (to reduce).

PALEO MEXICAN PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Halve Anaheim chile peppers lengthwise; remove the stem, seeds, and ribs. Place peppers cut-side down onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Cook in the preheated broiler until peppers are blackened and blistered, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and over tightly with plastic wrap. Let peppers steam as they cool, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard skins; chop flesh.
• Season pork with salt and black pepper.
• Heat bacon fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side.
• Transfer pork to a slow cooker. Pour in beef broth and coat pork with tomato paste. Add roasted chile pepper, onion, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf.
• Cook on Low until pork is tender, about 8 hours. Shred pork using 2 forks. Serve with avocados, cilantro, and lime wedges.

MEXICAN STYLE PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Remove excess fat from pork. Place pork in 3 1/2- 6 quart slow cooker; arrange onion on top. Mix barbecue sauce, salsa, herbs, and spices; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low heat 8 to 10 hours or until pork is very tender. Remove pork; place on large plate. Use 2 forks to pull pork into shreds. Pour sauce into bowl; stir in pork. Sauté pepper strips in a little oil. Spoon filling onto tortillas; top with a few pepper strips, and roll up.

PULLED PORK MEXICAN STYLE

Steps:

• Roast peppers under broiler till blackened.
• Remove from oven and cover with plastic wrap this till the skins loosen. After that, peel skins from peppers and chop.
• Cut some fat off pork butt--not all--you need this for flavor.
• Use a large pot with lid, add small amount of oil to sear the meat, heat pan to hot. Add pork butt and sear for 9 minutes each side or till browned.
• Remove pork to a plate. While the pan is still hot, chop onion and add to pan. Add broth and chopped peppers.
• On medium low heat, cook for 4 hours till pork is tender. Remove from pan and using 2 forks, pull meat apart. Add a handful of cilantro.
• You are ready to make tacos or sandwiches.