Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos
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These sweet pork inspired leftover pulled pork tacos are perfect for using up extra pulled pork. This recipe for pork tacos is easily made with leftover shredded pulled pork to make this a meal ready in under 20 minutes. Perfect for a weeknight meal or make up a batch to feed a crowd.
Leftover Pulled Pork
Whenever I smoke pork, slow roast it in a slow cooker, bake it in the oven or even buy the pre-made stuff from Costco, I have to set aside some just for these tacos. Which is super easy because one pork shoulder makes a ton.
Reheating that tender meat and adding a few additional ingredients turn leftover pulled pork into a whole new dinner in these pork roast tacos. The best part is, these are ready in less than 20 minutes.
Ingredients Needed for Pulled Pork Tacos:
This recipe for simple pulled pork tacos is so flavorful, that you will want to make it over and over. You need some spices, or even taco seasoning to season the pork. To make this easy recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
⭐️ Full ingredient measurements and recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make Leftover Shredded Pork Tacos
My fam loves this recipe and I love it too because it takes just a few minutes to put together on a busy weeknight, especially when I already have some pulled pork on hand. Let’s walk through the simple steps to make these easy pork tacos:
- Start by cooking the onion and garlic in some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until tender. Add in the pulled pork and combine with the onion and garlic in the pan.
- Pour in the Dr. Pepper, seasonings, and brown sugar. Stir until the pork is well seasoned and everything is combined.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and turn down the heat. Simmer the pork, stirring occasionally until the Dr. Pepper reduces down and the pork has absorbed most of the liquid. When the liquid is all absorbed, the pork will begin to become crispy and oh-so delicious.
- Add to soft taco shells and top with your favorite toppings like; avocados, cilantro, salsa, guacamole, pickled onions, cabbage, sour cream, etc.
Leftover and Storage
If you have leftovers of this leftover pulled pork, store it in the refrigerator in an air-tight container or zip-top bag. I would suggest only reheating once since this was a recipe made from leftovers already.
The same goes for freezing leftover pulled pork. Portion it out into smaller bags and only reheat once as the quality of the meat can decrease being reheated multiple times.
What is the Best Cut of Pork To Use For Tacos?
The best cut of meat to use for pulled pork tacos is a pork shoulder or pork butt. When cooked for a long time at a low heat, they produce delicious, tender meat that is easy to shred. While pork tenderloin or even pork chops could be used to make tacos, they are a little too lean to produce the same texture and flavor as a pork shoulder/butt.
What to serve with Pulled Pork Tacos
Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos Recipe
When you have finished Feeding Your Fam this easy dinner, come back and leave me a review here! I can’t wait to hear how this recipe turned out for you!
If you are looking for more detailed recipes and ideas to help with the daily dinner dilemma, or maybe a sweet treat, be sure to follow along with me on YouTube, and if you feel like sharing your masterpieces, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook.
Pulled Pork Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pulled Pork or Shredded Chicken
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 Onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 cup Dr. Pepper
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 12 Small Soft Taco Shells
- 1 cup Shredded Purple Cabbage
- 1 cup Shredded Cabbage
- Cilantro
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder and brown sugar and stir to combine.
- Mince garlic and chop onion. Place a skillet over medium high heat. Pour in the olive oil and garlic and onion and saute until soft and fragrant. Add in the pulled pork and heat through.
- Once it is heated through add Dr. Pepper and spice/sugar mix to the skillet and allow to simmer until the Dr. Pepper has reduced and a caramel has formed on the pork.
- Serve in warm tortilla shells with shredded cabbage and cilantro.
Notes
- Nutrition facts are just an estimate
- store any left over meat in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months
Nutrition
Images updated October 18th, 2023, post updated 1/20/25
I don’t drink soda and haven’t had a Dr. Pepper in about 20 years, so this was a bit sweet for me. All other flavors were spot on. I will make this again but use a little less soda. I made pickled red onions to put on top along with cabbage and cilantro.
Thanks so much for coming back and leaving me such a kind review! I’m glad you like this one. I don’t drink soda either, but love the flavor it adds to some recipes. You can also use diet to lessen the sweetness. Love the pickled red onions on top too!!
These were fantastic! We followed the recipe as written and served with Cabbage, pickled red onions and an avocado crema. We were leary of the Dr. Pepper, but thought: hey, Sarah has never steered us wrong. So glad we trusted. Amazing! Thank you!
I’m so glad you went for it!! We love these pork tacos, they are a regular on our dinner menu, and the leftovers make great lunches the next day!! Thanks for your comment!