Citrus Pulled Pork for Tacos: Pork Taco Marinade

Name: Citrus Pulled Pork for Tacos: Pork Taco Marinade
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 5 pounds boneless fresh pork butt (shoulder); 2 cups orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed; ½ cup fresh lime juice; ½ cup light olive oil; ¼ cup Dry Rub (see recipe below); 2 cups favorite barbecue sauce; 2 tablespoons Cabot Salted Butter; 4 Granny Smith or favorite local apples, thinly sliced; 2 large onions, thinly sliced; 12 soft corn tortillas; 12 ounces Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 3 cups); Cabot Sour Cream and additional barbecue sauce for garnish; 4 tablespoons mild paprika; 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon light brown sugar; 2 tablespoons salt; 2 tablespoons ground cumin; 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons chili powder; ½ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

Servings

12 tacos for 6 servings

We love pulled pork. And we also love tacos. Which is exactly why we’re a bit head-over-heels for this pulled pork for tacos recipe. The flavor of our pork taco marinade, which uses orange juice, lime juice and olive oil, combined with barbecue sauce and our amazing Dry Rub recipe, is a treat to your taste buds. If that weren’t enough, there are delicious pulled pork tacos toppings to boot: sliced onions and apples are sautéed in butter and placed over the pulled pork in tortillas, and then topped with grated Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar and Cabot Sour Cream – amazing! Share the recipe with family and friends on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

To make pulled pork for 12 tacos (6 servings), trim pork of visible fat, cut in half and place each half in a large zip-close plastic bag.

Whisk orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed), fresh lime juice and light olive oil in a medium bowl until well blended. Pour marinade over pork, dividing among the two bags. Press excess air out of bags, seal and place in a bowl or pan. Place in refrigerator for several hours or overnight to marinate.

When ready to make the pulled pork, start by preheating your oven to 250°F. Remove pork from marinade (discard the marinade) and place in a roasting pan. Sprinkle dry rub (see recipe below) evenly on all sides.

Cover pan with tent of aluminum foil, sealing the edges, and slow-roast the pork for 8 to 9 hours. You’ll know it’s ready when meat falls apart easily when poked with a fork.

Once pork is cool enough to handle,pull into shreds by hand and discard any fat. Toss pork with barbecue sauce in a large bowl until blended.

Now it’s taco time! Melt Cabot Salted Butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, add sliced onions and cook, stirring for several minutes until they begin to soften. Add sliced apples and continue cooking for several more minutes. Stir frequently until the onions are well browned and the apples are tender. Scrape mixture into a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Wipe the skillet clean and return to medium-high heat. Add one tortilla and cook, turning over midway, until warmed and lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with all remaining tortillas.

Divide pulled pork among tortillas and top each with some of the apple-onion mixture, followed by grated Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar. Add barbecue sauce and Cabot Sour Cream to taste. Fold tortillas over and dig in to deliciousness!

If you love pork tacos, we know you’ll also want to try our Yogurt Marinated Slow Roasted Pork Tacos. Cabot is a co-operative of farm families. We work hard to produce our award-winning dairy products. We’d love to hear your feedback on this pulled pork for tacos recipe so, if you have a chance, please rate and review it.

Ingredients

Pulled Pork:

5 pounds boneless fresh pork butt (shoulder)
2 cups orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup light olive oil
¼ cup Dry Rub (see recipe below)
2 cups favorite barbecue sauce

Tacos:

2 tablespoons Cabot Salted Butter
4 Granny Smith or favorite local apples, thinly sliced
2 large onions, thinly sliced
12 soft corn tortillas
12 ounces Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 3 cups)
Cabot Sour Cream and additional barbecue sauce for garnish

Dry Rub

4 tablespoons mild paprika
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

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Directions

To make pulled pork:

TRIM pork of all visible fat. Cut in half and place each half in large zip-close plastic bag.
WHISK together orange juice, lime juice and olive oil in medium bowl until well blended. Pour marinade over pork in bags. Seal, pressing out excess air, and place bags in bowl or pan. Refrigerate for at least several hours or overnight.
PREHEAT oven to 250°F. Remove pork from marinade (discard marinade) and place in roasting pan. Sprinkle rub evenly on all sides.
COVER pan with tent of aluminum foil, sealing edges. Slow-roast pork for 8 to 9 hours or until meat falls apart easily when poked with fork.
LET pork stand until cool enough to handle, then pull into shreds by hand, discarding any fat. In large bowl, toss pork with barbecue sauce until blended.
To make tacos:
MELT butter in heavy skillet over medium heat; when hot, add onions and cook stirring for several minutes until they beginning to soften. Add apples and continue cooking for several more minutes, stirring often, until onions are well browned and apples are tender. Scrape mixture into bowl and cover to keep warm.
WIPE skillet clean and return to medium-high heat. Add one tortilla and cook, turning over midway, until warmed and lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
DIVIDE pulled pork among tortillas. Top each with some of apple-onion mixture, followed by cheddar. Add barbecue sauce and sour cream to taste, fold over tortillas and enjoy.