Cook up this special recipe on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill! Get delicious pulled pork tacos topped with smoked Arbol salsa, perfect for any occasion.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Pineapple juice does triple duty across the recipe. Used as a binder for the rub, a braising liquid for the wrap, and a brightening ingredient in the salsa, it ties three different steps together with one consistent flavor note.
- The salsa vegetables smoke for just one hour, not the whole cook. Pulling the tomatillos, tomatoes, and onion off early lets them pick up smoke flavor without overcooking, while the pork continues on its much longer timeline.
- Foiling with pineapple juice mid-cook speeds up the final push to tender. Wrapping the bark-formed pork butt with a splash of juice traps steam, helping it reach fall-apart tenderness faster than leaving it unwrapped for the full cook.
- Double-stacked corn tortillas prevent tears and sogginess. Using two tortillas per taco gives the filling a sturdier base that won't fall apart under a generous helping of pork and salsa.
Category
Entree
Cuisine
Mexican
Servings
28
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
7 hours
Calories
1203
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for a crowd favorite, Pulled Pork Tacos with Smoked Arbol Salsa!
Ingredients
-
1 (7-8 lb) Creekstone Farms Duroc Pork Boston Butt
- Splash of pineapple juice, for binder
-
Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Taco Seasoning
- Corn tortillas
- Griddled onions
- Cotija or Queso Fresco
- Smoked Arbol Salsa (recipe below)
-
3/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1 lb tomatillos, husks removed, fruit rinsed
- 1 lb tomatoes
- 1/2 each (6 oz) white onion
- 1 each chipotle in adobo sauce
-
6 arbol chiles
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled
- 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
- 2 tbsp pineapple juice
- 1 tbsp lime juice
-
Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt, to taste
Toppings:
For the Wrap:
Smoked Arbol Salsa:
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 300ºF, set up for smoking.
- Cover the pork butt in a thin layer of pineapple juice, for binder. Season all surfaces generously with Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning. Let rest until the seasoning appears wet on the surface.
- Place the pork butt on the second shelf of the smoker, near the smoke stack.
- Place your tomatillos, tomatoes and white onion on the second shelf of the smoker, as well.
- Smoke the salsa ingredients for one hour, then remove from the smoker. Continue smoking the pork butt.
- To make the salsa, place the smoked tomatillos, tomatoes and white onion (rough chopped) in the pitcher of a Vitamix Blender. Add there remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Transfer to a jar or sealable container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- When the pork butt has formed a dark brown/mahogany, crunchy bark (about 4 hours into the cook), Remove from the smoker and place on top of two large sheets of heavy duty foil. Turn up the edges of the foil and pour about 3/4 cup pineapple juice over the pork butt. Then wrap tightly in both sheets of foil. Return the pork to the smoker.
- Continue cooking the pork butt until the blade bone easily slides out of the muscle when pulled on. The internal temperature will be over 205ºF. The pork should easy shred by hand.
- Wearing cotton gloves covered with nitrile gloves, shred the pork by hand, tossing it in the braising liquid in the bottom of the foil wrap. The shredded pork will soak up all of the liquid.
- Slice yellow onion about 1/4” thick, then cook in a cast iron skillet over medium heat with spray duck fat and kosher salt until softened and browned around the edges.
- Toast the corn tortillas in a thin layer of spray duck fat, in a clean cast iron skillet, just until small brown spots appear. The tortillas should be pliable, not crunchy.
To assemble the tacos, start with two corn tortillas, stacked on on top of the other. Add a generous helping of pulled pork. Spoon the Smoked Arbol Salsa over the pork, then top with the griddled onions and cotija cheese.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why use pineapple juice in three different steps?
It works as a binder for the rub, a braising liquid once the pork is foiled, and a brightening addition to the salsa — one ingredient ties multiple steps together with a consistent flavor thread.
Why smoke the salsa vegetables for only an hour instead of the whole cook?
Removing the tomatillos, tomatoes, and onion early lets them pick up smoke flavor without breaking down too much, while the pork continues on its much longer smoking timeline.
Why foil the pork butt partway through instead of leaving it unwrapped?
Once a dark bark has formed, wrapping it with pineapple juice traps steam, helping push the pork to fall-apart tenderness faster than an unwrapped finish would.
Why use two corn tortillas per taco instead of one?
Stacking two gives the filling a sturdier base, which holds up better under a generous portion of pork and salsa without tearing or turning soggy.
What internal temperature should the pork butt reach?
Over 205°F, alongside a probe-tender feel and the blade bone sliding out easily — this is the correct, safe target for pulled pork.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — the salsa and taco assembly work fine indoors, but the multi-hour smoke on the pork butt is central to this dish and really requires an actual smoker.
Recipe Highlights
Triple-duty pineapple juice: Used as a binder, braising liquid, and salsa ingredient, it connects multiple steps with one consistent flavor.
Short-smoked salsa vegetables: Pulling them after just an hour preserves their texture while still picking up smoke flavor.
Mid-cook foiling: Wrapping the pork with pineapple juice after bark forms speeds the final push to tenderness.
Double-stacked tortillas: This gives the tacos a sturdier base that holds up to a generous filling.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 8.15 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 1203
- Carbs
- 26 grams
- Protein
- 102 grams
- Fat
- 72 grams
- Sodium
- 408 milligrams
