Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with Black Bean Pico
Think slow cookers are only good for the winter? Well, think again.
Ever since I hosted that slow cooker contest back in February, I’ve been using mine a few times a month and it’s all thanks to those of you who entered. Inspired by all of the submissions, I’ve slowly been making my way through even more of the recipes. While many of them were heavy and more conducive to cold weather, there were also several that screamed summertime to me.
Today’s tacos were one of those. Originally I thought I’d make them for Cinco de Mayo, but things were crazy that week so I never got around to it. When the nice folks at Tortilla Land sent me a huge box of their incredible tortillas recently, I figured a taco night was finally in order.
Oh how I love the ease of slow cooker meals! I whipped up the pork seasoning the night before, rubbed down the pork with it, and stuck it in the fridge until the morning. Then before I left for work, I tossed it in the crock pot and off to work I went. When I got home from the office, I just had to do some chopping for the pico, and by the time my friend Kate arrived for dinner, I was free to chat with her instead of being a slave to the stove.
While the ease of preparation plays a big factor in my delight with this recipe, the taste is ultimately what matters the most, and as Kate and my husband will attest, these are fantastic.
Next week I’ll have eight others who will be able to vouch for this as well since I’m serving Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with Black Bean Pico to my book club!
How about you guys? Do you use your crock pot all year long? If so, what are you making in it right now?
Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with Black Bean Pico
Makes 10 tacos.
(adapted from original recipe provided by reader Hedy)
Ingredients:
10- 8″ flour tortillas (corn tortillas could also be used)
2.25 – 2.5 lb pork loin roast
for spice rub:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
for Crock Pot:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup hoisin
1 medium onion, sliced in rings
for Black Bean Pico:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pint grape tomatoes*, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 limes, squeezed for juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Rub spice rub on pork. Let sit for 1 hour or overnight in fridge.
Combine soy sauce, Worcestershire, and hoisin in a mixing bowl. Line the bottom of the crock pot with onion rings. Place pork on top of onions and pour liquid mixture on top.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
30 minutes to 1 hour before serving, combine all ingredients for black bean pico in a bowl. Allow to sit for flavors to combine.
Once the pork is done, using a fork, shred the meat while still in the crock pot, mixing with juices. Heat tortillas, then distribute pork and pico evenly between the tortillas. Enjoy!
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*Note on the tomatoes: 3 full size tomatoes can also be used. I opted for the grape tomatoes because tomatoes are not yet in season here, and I can’t stand the taste and texture of out-of-season, store-bought slicer tomatoes. Grape tomatoes, however, work for me.
(PS- thanks Hedy for your inspiration!)
Those sound to die for! Gotta love the ease of a crock pot, though, like you said, I do tend to have more wintery recipes for it. Will be making these soon though!
Side note: my fiance took me to Suzy Wong’s for my birthday this weekend and I just about died. SO AMAZING.
sorry I’m just now getting around to responding to this…
curious- did you have the deluxe asian nachos at Suzy Wong’s? They are to-die-for!
Can’t WAIT to make these! We have another pork loin roast from our CSA and this will be the perfect way to cook it. As an added bonus, hubs loves making tortillas with fresh masa so we’ll have great tortillas too! Thanks for sharing.
This really looks so good. and I am looking forward to getting a new slow cooker!
O gosh, these look scrumptious. I’d eat that pico every day in salads, as a dip or even as a side dish! We planted 16 diff tomato plants this year. And i’ve got cilantro & peppers coming out my ears as well. I’ll be making this goodness tonight. Thanks Beth!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I have a respectable pork farm near me, and I love any excuse to buy from them… as well as any excuse to use my slow cooker!
These sound great! I have some extra pork in the freezer that I’ll have to try these out with.
I actually whipped up a big batch of carnitas (pork) over the weekend for tacos with a recipe my wife and I have been working on over the years. We’ve actually really simplified it and they are fantastic so if you’re feeling like a lazy pork taco recipe that is also pretty tasty try this:
– Get a nice chunk of pork shoulder (pork butt in some stores)
– Season lightly with season salt
– Place pork in a pot with 1 white onion chopped into quarters
– Fill pot with 1 part water and 1 part orange juice until meat is partially covered
– Add a can of Coke
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Let simmer 5-6 hours and then bring back to boil until majority of liquid evaporates. Once the pork shreds easily with a for you know it’s ready.
Don’t eat them all that day though because they taste better on day two!
That sounds fantastic. I’ll have to give it a try! Same thing with this pork – I think it’s actually better the next day :-)
Glad you enjoyed them! It is great coming home to a house smelling of yummy food!!!
They’re soooo good! I just served them for my book club last night and everyone raved! Thanks again :-)
Sadly, no asian nachos! I really wanted to try them, but my fiance is allergic to dairy. Maybe next time. I keep hearing that they’re the best thing on the menu. The BBQ bao bun was probably our favorite, mainly because we haven’t found anyone who makes bao since our trip to Shanghai. We were giddy.
the Tortilla Land website said that they were sold Costco but I couldn’t find them there.
I sent an email to my contact at Tortilla Land & she’s checking to see where they can be found in our area. Will report back!
So, I’ve wanted to get a slow cooker for awhile now and this just made me stop dragging my feet. I want these stat! Can’t wait to try them!
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it. Just moved to Nashville and SO SO glad I found this great blog.
Welcome to Nashville Rebecca! Let me know if you ever have any questions about anything!
Just made this over the weekend, and it was amazing!! — And super easy. I’m going to try the thai peanut pork recipe very soon. Thanks Beth!
Hi Andrea! Thanks for coming back and letting me know you made it and enjoyed them! I’m actually making another batch for us this week :-)
Would you recommend switching out the pork for say a chuck roast instead?
I certainly think you could!
This sounds absolutely incredible and like a perfect weeknight meal! I love using the crock pot to make recipes like this, and you better believe we’ll be trying something like this at my home because I cannot resist a good pork taco!
Thanks for sharing!
We just made this and its absolutely wonderful! check out my results! http://instagr.am/p/Jm9iN/
Great pic! So glad you enjoyed!!
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Wow, I can;t wait to try this recipe. I usually substitute serrano chiles for jalapenos, they get a little hotter but they have a beautiful fresh taste that’s used more commonly in Mexican salsas than the jalapeno. I also throw a habanero in for good measure, because I like it HOT!
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Will the same recipe work with pressure cooker as well since I don’t have a slow cooker with me? How much time will it stay in the pressure cooker?The picture of the roast looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it.
Unfortunately I’m not sure about the pressure cooker, as I don’t own one and have never tried it. If you give it a shot, please report back and let me know how it turns out!