TacosMediumFree

BBQ Pulled Pork Tacos

Name: BBQ Pulled Pork Tacos
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 260 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 200 g White cabbage (shredded); 3 Chipotle chilli in adobo; 1200 g Pork shoulder (boneless); 2 limones Lime juice; 1 Carrot (grated); 12 Corn tortillas (for tacos); 200 ml BBQ sauce (Kansas City style); 100 ml Soured cream or creme fraiche; 1 to taste Garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt

260 min (20 prep + 240 cook) Medium 6 servings Fusion

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 27 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Pork shoulder slow-cooked in chipotle BBQ sauce, served in corn tortillas with creamy chipotle coleslaw.

About this recipe

BBQ pulled pork tacos are the perfect combination of Southern US barbecue tradition with the soul of the Mexican taco: pork shoulder slow-cooked for hours until the meat falls apart into soft fibres, bathed in chipotle BBQ sauce, served on corn tortillas with a creamy chipotle coleslaw. The smokiness of the chipotle bridges the two worlds and the coleslaw provides the creamy, crunchy contrast that the intensity of the pork demands. A foolproof weekend recipe.

History & Origin

Pulled pork is one of the iconic dishes of Southern US BBQ, especially North Carolina and Tennessee, where pork shoulder is cooked for 8-12 hours in hickory or mesquite smokers until it reaches that silky texture that pulls apart with two forks. The fusion with the Mexican taco is almost natural: both cultures share a deep tradition of slow-cooking pork - in Mexico, cochinita pibil is buried and cooked for hours, carnitas are confited in lard. Around 2015, Tex-Mex food trucks in Texas began serving pulled pork in corn tortillas, adding chipotle sauces as a bridge between the two worlds. The recipe arrived in Spain and the UK through foodie culture and is now a classic at street food festivals.

Estimated cost

£16.00

Total cost

£2.70

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

520

Calories

42g

Protein

36g

Carbohydrates

22g

Fat

Fibre

740mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Mix in a bowl: garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika and salt to make the dry rub. Rub the pork shoulder all over with the mixture. You can do this the night before and refrigerate covered.
💡 Overnight resting intensifies the flavour - it is worth planning ahead.
2
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Place the shoulder in a deep roasting dish, add 200 ml of water or stock, cover with foil. Roast for 3.5-4 hours until the meat reaches 90°C internal temperature and pulls apart easily with a fork.
💡 You can also use a slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
3
Blend the chipotle chillies with the BBQ sauce. Shred the meat with two forks, discarding excess fat. Coat the meat with half the chipotle BBQ sauce and mix well.
💡 Reserve the cooking juices to add if the meat dries out.
4
Prepare the coleslaw: mix the shredded cabbage, grated carrot, soured cream, lime juice and salt. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to let the flavours meld.
💡 The coleslaw improves with resting - prepare it before the meat.
5
Warm the corn tortillas on a dry griddle or pan for 30 seconds each side. Serve the pulled pork on the tortillas, add the coleslaw on top and a drizzle of extra BBQ sauce. Serve with lime wedges.
💡 Use double tortillas to hold the weight of the filling.