Mojo Pork Tacos

These soft tacos are filled with oven-roasted pulled pork, slices of avocado, red onion, tomatoes, cilantro and grated cheese. The pork is seasoned with a flavorful rub, roasted until tender, then pulled and combined with a Cuban-style mojo sauce made with garlic, olive oil, orange juice and lime juice.

Mojo Pork Tacos

Mojo Pork Tacos

Yield: 6 servings (with lots of leftovers)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes

Oven-roasted pulled pork glazed with a mojo-style sauce of olive oil, garlic, orange juice and lime juice combines with avocado, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro and cheese to make these flavorful soft tacos.

Ingredients

For the pork:

  • 3 to 4 lb Boston butt pork roast
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/3 cup orange juice

For the rub:

  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons salt
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder

For the mojo sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons orange marmalade

For the tacos:

  • 6 flour tortillas (10-inch), warmed
  • 1 Hass avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
  • 3 very thin slices red onion, halved
  • 4 ounces finely grated cheese (queso blanco or Monterey Jack)
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 225°F.
  2. Prepare the rub by combining the paprika, salt, sugar, mustard, cumin, pepper, garlic and onion powders in a small bowl. Trim any large pieces of exterior fat from the pork if desired. Pat the rub mixture on all sides of the pork and place uncovered, in a dutch oven. Roast uncovered for 1 hour.
  3. Remove the pork from the oven, brush with the olive oil, add the orange juice, cover and return to the oven for approximately 5 hours longer. At this point the pork should be very tender and pull apart easily with a fork. Total roasting time runs between 90 and 100 minutes per pound.
  4. Transfer the pork to a large platter and allow to cool enough to handle. With two dinner forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, removing and discarding any large chunks of fat in the process.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

  1. You can cook the pork in a slow cooker instead of the oven if desired. Simply add a layer of sliced onion to the bottom of the cooker, put the rub-coated pork on top and add the orange juice. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (depending on the size of your roast), or until the pork is tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.

Prepare the mojo sauce:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until pale golden in color (do not brown). Add the orange juice, lime juice and marmalade and combine well. Add 3 to 4 cups of the pulled pork and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated and the pork is nicely glazed, 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Assemble the tacos:

Place a few slices of avocado in each tortilla, top with a portion of pork, some chopped tomato, red onion, cheese and cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

Leftovers:

You can freeze the leftover pork in airtight containers. It will keep for up to 6 weeks in the coldest part of the freezer. This pulled pork recipe will work for our Oven Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwiches too. Just combine your leftovers with the homemade barbecue sauce in the linked recipe for a completely different flavor profile.

© Lynne Webb
Category: Main Dishes