Pulled pork tacos served fresh off the smoker. These beautiful meat-filled tortillas are the best way to enjoy barbecue shredded pork.
As far as Boston Butt pulled pork goes, using it as a taco filling is right up there among my favorites. We’re taking juicy smoked pork butt fresh from the smoker, shredding it up while drowning it in BBQ sauce, before serving it in a soft tortilla. If this isn’t already on your barbecue bucket list, it will be now.
The initial stages of this recipe are like our smoked pork butt recipe, but we push through to get the meat to 203°F (95°C). This higher internal temperature is perfect for shredding, giving us melt-in-the-mouth tender pork.
Everything about this recipe is geared towards ensuring maximum juiciness. We dry brine the pork overnight, we break down the butt into two, and we tent it in aluminum foil. This does mean a longer smoking time, but I promise the end results are well worth the effort. Let’s get into it!
Quick Information
Can I Use Leftover Pulled Pork?
These tacos can easily be made with leftover pulled pork, so if you have any shredded pork in the refrigerator this will be quick to throw together. The best way to reheat pulled pork is to wrap it in foil with about half a cup of water and place it in the smoker or oven. Cook at about 300°F (150°C) or until the meat temperature hits 155°F (68°C).
Smoked Pulled Pork Tacos
Equipment
- Apple or pecan wood
- Food-safe spritz/spray bottle
Ingredients
- 5 lb pork butt
- 2 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- ½ cup BBQ dry rub
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 24 soft-shell tacos
Spritz
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
Taco toppings
- 2 jalapeño pepper sliced
- 1 red cabbage shredded
- 2 red onion thinly sliced
- 2 avocado cubed
- ¼ cup coriander finely chopped
Instructions
- Trim the fat cap off the top of the pork butt, and any excess fat on the other side.
- Find the seam in the butt, found on the other side to the fat cap. Divide and cut the butt into two pieces. This will help us marinate and season the butt more efficiently. Trim off any more excess fat or tissue on the two sections.
- Cover the two pieces in kosher salt, evenly covering all sides. Leave in your refrigerator overnight to dry brine.
- The next day, remove pork from refrigerator. Rinse off residual salt with cold water and pat dry. Apply a thin layer of mustard all over pork. Rub BBQ dry rub into pork.
- Fire up smoker to 225°F (107°C). If you are using a grill, ensure you set up for 2-zone cooking.
- Add apple or pecan chips to smoker or coals. Place pork butt on smoker grates. Smoke for 5-6 hours, or until internal temperature is 165°F (74°C). Spritz every hour.
- Wrap pork in foil. Increase temperature to 325°F (163°C) and smoke for 2-3 hours, or until internal temperature is around 203°F (95°C).
- Remove pork from the heat and place it in a pan to begin pulling. If you don't have a shredder you can use a pair of forks.
- Heat up tortillas, either on smoker or in oven, for 2-3 minutes. Serve pulled pork into tacos and finish with your choice of toppings.
