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These slow cooker cider beer braised pork tacos with an apple-pomegranate salsa combine a ton of flavors in one tasty dish. The colors just scream winter to me.
The holiday season is in full force, which means it's time to pull out the slow cooker! But instead of my same old go-to recipes that are delicious, I wanted to mix it up a little today. These cider beer braised pork tacos with an apple-pomegranate salsa combine a ton of flavors in one tasty dish. I mean is there really much better than slow cooker pork tacos?
Tacos are definitely a go-to dinner for Lauren and me. Looking at the recipes I've posted so far, it might be my most posted category! With that in mind, I'm always looking for inspiration for new tacos and came across one from Half Baked Harvest... shocker I know! It may seem a bit weird to combine beer, apple cider, enchilada sauce and a ton of spices but believe me once you have one bite you'll be hooked. It really is the apple-pomegranate salsa that puts these tacos over the top. You get a little heat from the chili garlic sauce and crunch from the apples and pomegranate arils.
Lauren and I are on the light end for spice so if you like your meals with some heat, I'd recommend adding one or two chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. Keep in mind, you do get some heat from the salsa. And in regards to the salsa, it's pretty difficult to find pomegranates when they aren't in season, so hopefully you're trying to make this some time between October and February! So since you can realistically only make this for a few months out of the year, go out and get the ingredients and give these pulled pork tacos a try.
What Ingredients are in this Cider Beer Braised Pork Tacos Recipe?
- Pork (tenderloin or shoulder)
- Olive oil
- Produce - white onion, garlic, lime, apples, pomegranate seeds, cilantro
- Spices - chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper
- Light brown sugar
- Red enchilada sauce
- Beer
- Apple cider
- Corn tortillas
- Feta cheese
- Chili garlic sauce
How to Make Cider Beer Braised Pork Tacos
- In a slow cooker, add the pork, olive oil, onion, garlic, spices, enchilada sauce, beer and apple cider. Set to low and cook for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Shred pork with two forks.
- Turn broiler on and place rack at the top. Transfer pulled pork to baking sheet and spread out in even layer. Place under broiler for 5 minutes or until the pork is starting to char. Remove from oven and add ½ cup of leftover juice. Repeat process 2 more times.
- Serve pork in heated tortillas with some fresh salsa, cheese, lime juice and cilantro.
Can I Cook in an Instant Pot?
Yes. Just throw all of the ingredients in the Instant Pot and cook on manual high pressure for 45 minutes. Then allow a natural release. From there, follow the steps to broil for crispier pork below.
Tips for Cider Beer Braised Pork Tacos
- Replace pork tenderloin with pork shoulder if you like a little more fat.
- Add 1-2 chilis in adobo sauce to slow cooker if you want more heat.
- Use a beer you like as it affects the flavor of the pork tacos. You can replace the beer with chicken stock if you don't want or have beer.
- To make the corn tortillas pliable, heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook for 30 seconds on each side. You can also cover the tortillas with a wet paper towel and place in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Other Taco Recipes
- Crispy Pork Carnitas
- Cuban Mojo Pulled Pork Tacos
- Slow Cooker Crispy Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
- Chorizo Tacos
- Grilled Chicken Tacos
If you’ve tried these Cider Beer Braised Pork Tacos or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Cider Beer Braised Pork Tacos
Ingredients
Pork Tacos
- 2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into 3 inch chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium white onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne
- 1 (10 oz can) red enchilada sauce
- 1 (8 oz) beer (I use lager)
- ½ cup apple cider
- Corn tortillas
- Feta cheese
- Limes for serving
Apple-Pomegranate Salsa
- 2 honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped
- arils from pomegranate
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
- juice from 1 lime
Instructions
Pork Tacos
- In a large crockpot, add pork, onion, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, light brown sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne and toss so pork gets coated. Add enchilada sauce, apple cider and beer to crockpot and set to low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Shred pork with two forks.
- Once pork is cooked, pre-heat broiler and place rack at top. Place aluminum foil on baking sheet. Using slotted spoon, transfer pulled pork to baking sheet and spread throughout in even layer. Place under broiler for about 5 minutes or until edges start to brown. Remove from oven and add ½ cup of leftover juice from slow cooker. Broil for additional 5 minutes. Remove again and add ½ cup of juice and broil again for 5 minutes.
- For tortillas, heat small skillet over medium heat and cook for 30 seconds on both side. Serve pork over warm tortillas with fresh salsa, cheese, lime juice and extra cilantro if you want. Enjoy!
Apple-Pomegranate Salsa
- In medium bowl, add chopped apple, pomegranate arils, cilantro, lime juice and chili garlic sauce to bowl. Toss well to combine and cover and store in fridge until ready to serve. (PS if you need to know how to get pomegranate seeds, check out this video)
Notes
- Replace pork tenderloin with pork shoulder if you like a little more fat.
- Add 1-2 chilis in adobo sauce to slow cooker if you want more heat.
- Use a beer you like as it affects the flavor of the pork tacos. You can replace the beer with chicken stock if you don't want or have beer.
- To make the corn tortillas pliable, heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook for 30 seconds on each side. You can also cover the tortillas with a wet paper towel and place in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Love me some tacos!