My wife is a huge fan of tacos, so I try to make them for her when I can. I love shredded pork so it's often my go-to meat to use in them. You can cook the pork however you like, but I love a good sous vide pork shoulder, it has more bite to it than a pressure cooked version would...though if you want to smoke it traditionally, go right ahead!
You can add any toppings to the tacos you want but for this recipe I pulled out the grill and roasted some peppers and onions then grilled some corn. It added some wonderful smokey undertones to the tacos that I really loved.
I like a more firm pork shoulder for these, cooked at 156°F (68.9°C) for 18 to 24 hours, but you can go as high as 176°F (80°C) for 12 to 18 hours for a much more shreddable meat.
When I want a special piece of meat there are a few good butchers in my area, but I've also been enjoying the super flavorful pork from Snake River Farms. I also enjoy trying the different ranchers that Crowd Cow has available.
Note: You can learn more about Pork from my How to sous vide pork shoulder or view all my sous vide pork shoulder articles.
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Preheat the water bath to 156°F (68.9°C).
If the pork shoulder is too large to fit into a bag, cut it into multiple pieces. Mix together the spices in a bowl then coat the pork with them. Place the pork in a sous vide bag then seal. Place the bag in the water bath and cook the pork for 18 to 24 hours, until tender.
For more information on the cooking times you can read my detailed article which addresses why is there a range in sous vide cooking times.
Take the sous vide bag out of the water and remove the cooked pork shoulder from the bag and reserve the sous vide juices. Dry the shoulder thoroughly using paper towels or a dish cloth. Lightly salt the pork then quickly sear it for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until just browned, then remove from the heat. Shred the pork with a fork and tongs, then place in a bowl with the juices from the sous vide bag.
Place a corn tortilla on a plate. Spoon the pork down the middle then top with the vegetables. Sprinkle with the cilantro then squeeze the lime over the top and serve.
Note: Looking for more information? You can get more detailed recommendations from my comprehensive sous vide time and temperature pages or learn about heating by thickness.
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This article is by me, Jason Logsdon. I'm a passionate home cook who loves to try new things, especially when it comes to cooking. I've explored everything from sous vide and whipping siphons to pressure cookers and blow torches; created foams, gels and spheres; made barrel aged cocktails and brewed beer. I have also written 10 cookbooks on modernist cooking and sous vide and I run the AmazingFoodMadeEasy.com website.
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