Succulent salsa verde shredded pork is piled into flour tortillas with creamy avocado salsa, pickled onions, cheese, and cilantro. The pork doesn’t need to be seared before braising, and it keeps well in the fridge or freezer for quick taco assembly on busy nights.
Salsa Verde Infuses This Pork Taco Filling with So Much Flavor
Tacos don’t get nearly enough credit for their dinner-saving superpowers, especially when the meat’s already been cooked and all you have to do is pile on the toppings and chow down.
This shredded pork taco recipe is made with my super-easy salsa verde pork. Juicy, fall-apart shredded pork drenched in store-bought salsa verde is braised low and slow on the stovetop and then finished in the oven to crisp it up carnitas-style.
And let’s talk about the real MVP of this weeknight taco recipe: a humble bottle of salsa verde from the store (unless you want to make your own). It’s bright, tangy, and saves us from having to chop, roast, or blend a bunch of aromatics.
Follow my lead and braise the pork on a lazy Sunday and reheat it throughout the week for lightning fast tacos. It also freezes well, just make sure to pack in some of the salsa verde sauce so nothing dries out.
Enjoy!
The Main Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Salsa verde shredded pork — My braised salsa verde pork serves as the filling for these tacos. It’s an easy recipe that simmers low and slow on the stovetop to infuse the pork butt with tons of flavor and tenderize the meat.
- Tortillas — I prefer using flour tortillas for my pork tacos, but you can use corn tortillas too, so long as you warm them in the microwave for 30 seconds to make them more pliable.
- Toppings — Pickled red onions, creamy avocado salsa verde, chopped cilantro, and crumbled cotija cheese and my pork taco toppings of choice.
How to Make Shredded Pork Tacos
- Braise the pork butt. Unlike most pork taco recipes, mine doesn’t make you sear the pork before braising it in the salsa verde sauce. I’ve tested this recipe both ways, and to be honest I didn’t taste much of a difference between the pork that had been seared vs the pork that I dumped straight into the pot.
- Use the oven to make it nice and crispy. After 3 hours on the stove, the pork should be incredibly tender. This is where we add all that caramelized flavor that we missed out on by not searing the pork, without the mess! Transfer just the pork to a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400ºF for about 30 minutes to give it a nice crust.
- Reduce the salsa verde mixture. While the pork bakes, I’ll simmer the salsa verde braising liquid for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken it up.
- Shred the pork with two forks. It will be so tender by this point that it should shred very easily without much muscle power. Return it to the salsa verde mixture and toss to combine.
- Assemble your tacos. If you’ve got a clean skillet to spare, heat the flour tortillas for a few seconds on each side to give them some color. Spread the creamy salsa verde over top, then pile on the shredded pork. We love topping our tacos with cotija cheese, pickled onions, and lots of cilantro, but use any toppings you prefer.
What to Serve With Your Pork Tacos
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Salsa Verde Shredded Pork Tacos Recipe
PrintIngredients
- 3 ½ – 4 pound bone-in pork butt, trimmed of excess fat
- 1 (15-ounce) bottle of salsa verde, plus more for serving
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 12 (4 ½-inch) flour tortillas
Toppings
- creamy avocado salsa verde
- pickled red onions
- cotija cheese
- chopped cilantro
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Braise the pork until tender. In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot with a lid, add the 3 ½ pound pork butt. In a medium bowl or 4 cup measuring cup, whisk a 15 ounce bottle of salsa verde with 3 cups chicken broth, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt until combined. Pour over the pork, bring to a boil, and cover with a lid. Simmer for 3 – 3 ½ hours or until the pork is fork-tender.
- Roast the meat for a crisp crust, then reserve and reduce the cooking liquid. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, skim the fat from the cooking liquid, bring to a boil, and cook until it reduces to 2 ½ cups, about 10-15 minutes.
- Shred the meat, combine with reduced liquid, and make the tacos. With two forks, shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Add back to the pot, toss with the cooking liquid and ½ cup chopped cilantro. Layer each tortilla with creamy avocado salsa verde and shredded pork, then top with pickled red onion, cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.
Nutrition
FAQs
I recommend using pork butt (aka Boston butt) to make these salsa verde pork tacos. It’s got good marbling which translates to moisture and richness, and buying a bone-in pork butt gives the taco meat even more flavor.
Yes, instead of a 3-hour stovetop braise you may also slow cook the meat on low for 8 to 9 hours. You want it to be fall-apart tender, so I don’t recommend cooking it on high for a shorter amount of time.
If your salsa verde pork is difficult to shred with two forks, it means you didn’t braise it for long enough. After 3 to 3 ½ hours of simmering, it should be very tender, so make sure your pork butt weighs about 4 pounds and that it was simmering the entire time it was on the stove.
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