Name: Slow Cooker Pork Barbacoa
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 490 min
Ingredients: 2-3 pound pork roast; 4 cloves minced garlic; 1 onion (diced); 1 Tablespoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon oregano; ¼ teaspoon red pepper; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 chipotle chile in adobo; 2 Tablespoons brown sugar; 8 ounce bottle taco sauce; 12 ounces Coke; 1 cup medium salsa

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Sweet and spicy slow cooker pork barbacoa tacos are a flavorful and easy meal with tender, shredded pork cooked low and slow with bold spices, garlic, and a touch of chipotle.

A plate with three tacos each with sour cream, pork, cheese, and lettuce in them.

During the week we usually have Mexican food at least once. That’s because not only do we like the flavors of these foods but they are quick and easy to make too.

One of my favorite meals to make is old school tacos because they are the same tacos my mom made when I was a kid. I also love Oven Baked Crunchy Tacos. While burritos take a bit more work these Wet Burritos are totally worth it. When I want something with chicken and a white sauce I go for White Chicken Enchiladas.

I knew this upcoming week was going to be busy so I wanted an easy to make meal and sometimes that means using my slow cooker. I haven’t made Pork Barbacoa in a long time and it sounded really good.

What is pork Barbacoa?

Pork barbacoa is a Mexican-inspired dish made with pork that’s slow-cooked until it’s tender, juicy, and easy to shred. Barbacoa refers to a method of cooking meat in an underground pit, but modern versions use a slow cooker or oven instead. Pork barbacoa is usually seasoned with a mix of spices like cumin, oregano, garlic, and chipotle peppers, giving it a smoky, slightly spicy, and savory flavor.

I liked that the pork was easy to put together as I simply had to put everything in the slow cooker, mix it up, put the pork roast in, and turn it on. Eight hours later it would be ready to enjoy.

I did cut back on the brown sugar because I didn’t think it needed much since I was putting Coke in there too. I ended up using Coke Zero and it worked just fine.

Can I use an Instant Pot to make Pork Barbacoa?

Yes! You can make this in the Instant Pot just as easily. Put everything in the Instant Pot, heat on high pressure for 40 minutes then naturally let the steam release for 10 minutes. Manually release the remaining steam and shred your pork.

Ingredients:

pork roast or pork loin
garlic cloves
onion (I prefer a sweet onion but use whatever you like)
ground cumin
dried oregano
black pepper
chipotle chile in adobo
brown sugar
taco sauce (bottled or make your own)
Coca-Cola (you can use Coke Zero or Diet Coke as well(
medium salsa (or you can use diced tomatoes)

To make the pork place all of the ingredients except the pork roast in the slow cooker and mix well. Place the pork in the slow cooker and cover. Heat on low for 8 hours. Remove the pork and shred. Return to the slow cooker to allow the pork to absorb the sauce.

The pork shredded easily from being in the slow cooker all day. Once I put the shredded pork back into the slow cooker it really soaked up a lot of the sauce.

The flavor was a little sweet, a little smoky, and a little bit spicy. It was a nice combination of flavors. We put it in a soft taco with rice, cheese, and sour cream.

How do you store Pork Barbacoa?

Store the leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Since this recipe makes so much we had plenty left over for the next day. We used it to make Pork Barbacoa nachos which were really flavorful. You could also put the pork on top of a salad.

If you’ve tried my Slow Cooker Pork Barbacoa or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

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