Slow Cooker Pineapple Carnitas Tacos
Tender shredded pork shoulder infused with a smooth guajillo-pineapple sauce, cooked low and slow until fall-apart tender. Rubbed with warm Mexican spices and finished with remaining sauce, then served in warm tortillas. Sweet, savory, and deeply flavored.
Ingredients
- 6 dried guajillo or ancho peppers, seeds removeddried chipotle peppers0.5:1peppersmoke
adds smokiness, use fewer
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds pork shoulder
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 1
Remove pork shoulder from refrigerator.
- 2
Cover dried peppers with boiling water and soak until softened, about 30 minutes.
- 3
Mix oregano, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
- 4
Rub spice mixture all over the pork shoulder.
- 5
Drain peppers and blend with pineapple juice, garlic, cumin, oregano and salt until smooth.
- 6
Add pork shoulder to slow cooker and pour half the sauce over it.
- 7
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
- 8
Remove pork to a bowl and shred with two forks.
- 9
Mix remaining pepper-pineapple sauce into shredded pork.
- 10
Serve in flour tortillas with fresh pineapple salsa.
Tips
Do not discard the liquid in the slow cooker bottom; it adds moisture and flavor to the final dish.
Use two forks to shred pork for best texture.
Good to Know
Refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days. Freeze shredded pork with sauce up to 3 months.
Prepare spice rub and make pepper-pineapple sauce up to 1 day ahead. Cook pork fully and refrigerate; reheat gently before serving.
Serve warm in flour tortillas with fresh pineapple salsa, diced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip soaking peppers long enough to avoid grainy sauce.
Do not discard slow cooker liquid to avoid dry, tough pork.
Substitutions
adds smokiness, use fewer