Hawaiian Pulled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

I LOVE pulled pork. Well, I love any type of pork for that matter…bacon, pork tenderloin, BBQ pork sandwiches, pork chops; basically my love runs deep for everything pork. In an effort to make something a little different than your regular barbecue pulled pork and putting it on a bun, I went with TACOS. Not BBQ tacos, but sweet and smoky pork tacos with a tangy pineapple slaw. Combining my love for tacos and pork with the freshest fruity slaw is a huge flavor explosion and I’m so glad I made a huge batch of this because I was enjoying it allllll week. You can certainly make this in the slow cooker with a smaller pork shoulder, but I highly recommend getting a huge shoulder and doing it in the oven in a large pot/dutch oven because you will love this pork and flavor combination.


I found pineapple preserves at Wegmans and that’s what kinda inspired this whole meal. I’ve never seen pineapple preserves and I was so intrigued! I love sweet and smoky flavors together and I think that pairs great with pork, so that’s how these tacos were born! If you can’t find the pineapple preserves, I’ve noted below that you can use two cans of crushed pineapple. I’d highly recommend looking for the preserves if you can though.?


Pork is not something I eat weekly, it’s definitely a once a month/every couple months kind of treat. You can also freeze leftover pork if needed. It’ll stay fresh in the freezer for a month or two. I also love this recipe because the pork is so multi-purpose. You can put it over rice, over veggies, put it on salads, in a sandwich, in a quesadilla, or even just eat the pork over the slaw for a low-carb option (I did that a few times..soo good!).

The grilled tortillas here are a MUST. They add such amazing grill/char flavor to the tacos and it’s delicious with the sweetness of the slaw!!

This is a great recipe to make on a Saturday or Sunday when you might have a little more time. The slaw stays for a few days in the fridge too!
What are your favorite ways to eat pork?

Print

Hawaiian Pulled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

Course Tacos

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 5 hours

Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes

Servings 8 -10+ people

Author Molly (Spices in My DNA)

Ingredients

• For the PORK:
• 8 lb. pork shoulder, bone-in *see notes
• 2 T. liquid smoke
• 1 T. hoisin sauce
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
• 1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple
• 1/2 c. pineapple preserves (if you can't find this, use two cans of crushed pineapple)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• sliced scallions, for topping
• more fresh pineapple for topping, if desired
• tortillas of your choice (I used flour and grilled them..so good!)
• 1 T. sea salt
• For the SLAW:
• 1/2 small red cabbage, shredded (about 4-5 cups)
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 1 c. chopped fresh pineapple
• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• juice of 1/2 an orange
• 1 1/2 T. rice wine vinegar
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325℉ or preheat slow cooker if using a smaller shoulder. Whisk together the pork "sauce" ingredients in a medium bowl (liquid smoke, hoisin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, crushed pineapple, pineapple preserves, garlic powder, and black pepper).

2. Rinse the pork shoulder and dry with paper towels. Preheat a large skillet to medium/high heat. Rub with the tablespoon of sea salt. Sear pork shoulder for 3-4 minutes per side or until it develops a deep golden crust.

3. Add pork shoulder to large pot/dutch oven or slow cooker and pour over the sauce mixture. Cover and cook for 5 hours in the oven, 4-5 hours for a smaller shoulder on low in the slow cooker, or 8-10 hours on high. (I turned my pork shoulder over halfway through cooking and ladled some of the cooking liquids over the pork to help it stay juicy throughout the cooking process.)

4. To make the slaw, combine all slaw ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt.

5. Once pork is done, remove from oven/slow-cooker and let cool for 15 minutes or so. Shred with two forks and add to a large bowl. Pour all of the cooking liquid over the pork and toss to let it soak in. Serve the pork in grilled tortillas topped with slaw, a sprinkle of chopped scallions, and some fresh chopped pineapple!

Recipe Notes

If you want to use a smaller 4-5 lb. pork shoulder, you can cook it in the slow cooker instead. I'd cook it 4-5 hours on high, or 8-10 on low.