Kalua Pork Tacos
Slow-cooked, fall-apart pork seasoned with Hawaiian salt and smoke, tucked into warm tortillas with crispy cabbage slaw. Ready in under an hour.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 48g
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork shoulder, boneless
- 1.5 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups napa cabbage, thinly sliced
- 2 whole lime (juiced, divided)
- 3 whole green onions, sliced
- 8 whole corn or flour tortillas
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Pat pork dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and black pepper.
- 2
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high until shimmering.
- 3
Sear pork 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Edges should look caramelized.
- 4
Add minced garlic, stir constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 5
Drizzle liquid smoke over pork. Add 1 cup water, scraping up browned bits from the bottom.
- 6
Cover, reduce heat to low, and braise 45 minutes until pork shreds easily with two forks.
- 7
Toss cabbage with juice from 1 lime and a pinch of salt. Let sit 2 minutes.
- 8
Remove pork from pot, shred with two forks, and return to braising liquid to keep warm.
- 9
Warm tortillas in a dry skillet over medium, ~15 seconds per side, until pliable.
- 10
Fill each tortilla with 2–3 tbsp pork, top with cabbage slaw, green onions, and remaining lime.
- 11
Serve immediately.
Tools you’ll need
- large Dutch oven or heavy covered pot
- paper towels
- two forks for shredding
- cutting board
- knife
- small bowl
- 12-inch skillet
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