Gabe’s Famous Pulled Pork Tacos

My boyfriends recipe for pulled pork tacos, one that he’s been working on and perfecting for years, and gets rave reviews every time he makes it.

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My boyfriend Gabe really loves to cook (I’m a lucky girl). But I tease him a lot, because every time he sets his heart on making a specific dish, he goes all out to make each and every ingredient from scratch and it takes him forever. It always tastes amazing, but takes a minimum of 2-3 hours to make. And these pulled pork tacos are no different. Because not only does he pressure cook the pork with a ton of various and super flavorful ingredients, but he goes all out making homemade pico de gallo and guacamole, and shredding blocks of cheese. But while it may take him a while, the result is one thousand percent worth it. Because these are probably the best tacos I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve heard so many others say the same thing.

I’ll get into the specifics of the ingredients Gabe uses for these pulled pork tacos later (and in my recipe), but just know that they really contain the perfect flavor combination. This pork is all at once savory, sweet, spicy, smoky, and acidic, and it is absolutely melt-in-you-mouth tender. When my niece Scarlet was born almost three years ago, my sister-in-law Julie’s parents came to visit for a few weeks and Gabe made these tacos. They couldn’t stop raving about them, and Julie truly appreciated not having to cook for a few nights (the leftovers are ample). So when my nephew Theo was born and Julie’s parents came to visit again, Gabe knew he had to make them again, for traditions sake. They were just as good (if not better) than they were three years ago, and this time I remembered to take pictures so I could post the recipe!

SLOW COOKED PORK TACOS

Gabe has always made these pulled pork tacos using the pressure cooker, but essentially a long low and slow cook would achieve the same results. Anyone who’s been reading my recipes for a while will know that I love to slow cook meat (see my recipes for slow braised beef stew or slow roasted pork ribs). You achieve the most perfect fall-off-the-bone texture, and all the flavors that you cook the meat with are condensed down and heightened. The pressure cooker takes this low-and-slow process and speeds it up by increasing the pressure inside the pot, but it essentially achieves the same result. If you have a pressure cooker you can most definitely use it for this recipe, but if not, you can cook this ultra-flavorful pork low and slow in a Dutch oven.

And speaking of condensing and heightening flavors, Gabe uses quite a few ingredients here to get the absolute perfect flavor combination for these pork tacos. Chilies in adobo for heat and smoke, orange juice for sweetness, lime juice for acidity, beer for sourness, onions and garlic for savory-ness, and tons and tons of spices and herbs. The result is a pork taco that’s perfectly balanced in flavor and absolutely delicious. If you want to be as ambitious as Gabe and make your own pico and guac (here’s a great one for gauc, and one for pico) go for it, but this pork tastes so incredibly on its own that it doesn’t need tons of toppings. Simply pile it atop a tortilla or taco shell, and get ready for one of the hands-down best tacos you’ve ever had.