chipotle orange pork tacos

I've been on a Mexican food kick lately, can you tell?

Well, I had bought a big 'ol pack of corn tortillas for the huevos rancheros and only used about 6, so I decided to make some tacos. And, since I LOVE slow cooked pork, I decided to try a new twist on a slow-cooker classic.

This recipe did end up being a tad more expensive than I had anticipated but it makes a serious amount of meat. I'll probably only use half for the tacos and then freeze the rest. There is enough meat here to make at least twelve tacos, perhaps more. Also, the toppings that you choose will also greatly affect the final cost. There is so much flavor in the meat and sauce that you might only need a little cilantro and sour cream. It's up to you!





Total Recipe cost: $19.13
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Cost per serving: $1.59
Prep time: 20 min. Cook time: 6 hrs. Total: 6 hrs. 20 min.

CHIPOTLE ORANGE PORK		COST
4-5 lb.	pork roast (shoulder, boston butt)	$9.88
1 medium	onion	$0.58
12 oz. can	frozen OJ concentrate	$1.73
7.5 oz. can	chipotle peppers in adobo sauce	$1.29
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp	minced garlic	$0.48
2 cups	water	$0.00
2 whole	bay leaves	$0.20
1/4 cup	cider vinegar	$0.23
1.5 tsp	soy sauce	$0.05
TACO TOPPINGS		COST
12	6" corn tortillas	$0.78
1 med	red onion	$0.61
1 med	avocado	$0.99
1 recipe	pico de gallo	$1.91
1/2 bunch	cilantro	$0.35
TOTAL		$19.13

STEP 1: Dice the onion and place it in the bottom of your slow cooker. Trim excess fat off of the pork roast and cut it into 2"-3" cubes. Place the pork cubes on top of the onion in the slow cooker.

STEP 2: Prepare the cooking liquid by combining half of the frozen orange juice concentrate with 1 Tbsp of minced garlic, 1 tsp of salt, and about 3-4 chopped up chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Add a couple spoonfuls of the adobe sauce from the can of peppers as well. Stir in 2 cups of warm water until the OJ concentrate is fully dissolved and everything is mixed together.

STEP 3: Pour the OJ/chipotle liquid over the pork in the slow cooker. There should be just enough to cover the pork chunks. Add a little bit more water if needed. Add two bay leaves to the pot. Secure the lid and cook on high for 6 hours. If you want to leave it for 8 (while you're at work) that is okay.

STEP 4: Once the pork has cooked, remove the pork from the cooking liquid and shred it using two forks. It will be extremely soft and easy to pull apart.

STEP 5: Prepare the tangy chipotle orange sauce for the meat. In a sauce pan combine the rest of the frozen orange juice concentrate with one chopped up chipotle pepper, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup of cider vinegar and 1.5 tsp of soy sauce. Whisk everything together and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the shredded pork and stir to coat.

STEP 6: Build your tacos by filling the tortillas with the chipotle orange shredded pork, thinly sliced red onion, a slice of avocado, a few cilantro leaves, and a spoonful of pico de gallo.

Step By Step Photos

Start by dicing an onion and placing it in the bottom of the slow cooker. I actually had two left over onion halves (one yellow, one red), so I just used those.


This is the pork roast that I used. Look for "pork shoulder", "Boston butt", or "picnic roast". This one still had the bone intact but thankfully I've had tons of experience removing pork shoulder bones. If you're unfamiliar, try to get a boneless roast because pork shoulder bones are the most bizarre shaped bones around and may cause you lots of frustration!


Trim off the excess fat and cut the roast into chunks (about 2 or 3 inches square). Place the pork chunks on top of the onion in the slow cooker.


Now it's time to make a flavorful liquid for the pork to cook in. Place half of the frozen orange juice concentrate in a bowl. Chop up 3 or 4 chipotle peppers and add them along with some of the adobo sauce from the can (2-3 spoonfuls of sauce). Add 1 Tbsp of minced garlic and 1 tsp of salt.


Add two cups of warm water and whisk until the OJ concentrate is dissolved and everything is well mixed.


Pour the cooking liquid over the pork in the slow cooker. There should be enough to come up to the top of the meat. If not, add just a little bit more water. Add two bay leaves.


Secure the lid and cook on high for 6-8 hours.


And when it's done, it will look something like this. There is quite a bit of fat floating on top but that's okay because it will get left behind.


Pull the pieces of pork out of the cooking liquid. Some pieces still have a thick fatty layer but it is so soft now that it easily pulls off with a fork.


Use two forks to shred the meat, removing excess fat if needed. The meat was pretty delicious at this stage (I ate a TON while shredding it) but I wanted to make a sauce to give it an extra tangy-orange punch.


In a sauce pan, combine the rest of the frozen OJ concentrate, one more chipotle pepper, a few more spoonfuls of the adobo sauce from the can, 1/4 cup of cider vinegar and 1.5 tsp of soy sauce. This sauce can be made ahead of time, if desired.


Whisk everything together and then let simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.


Stir in the shredded meat. Give it a taste and see if you want more saltiness (soy sauce) or heat (chipotle peppers or adobo sauce).


Build the tacos on the tortillas with whatever toppings you like.