Bring the taste of a summer beach BBQ to your backyard with Chef Tom's Smoked Pork Tacos! Using Creekstone Farms pork and a delicious marinade, you can recreate a classic beach favorite without ever leaving the house.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Blending the Pineapple Chipotle Salsa while the pork smokes means it's fully made and chilled by the time the pork is ready to shred, with no last-minute prep
- Combining two different seasonings on the pork, Yardbird Rub and Mexicano Seasoning, layers a sweeter, more savory flavor with a taco-forward spice rather than relying on just one
- Wrapping the pork with crushed pineapple once bark has formed adds sweetness and moisture directly into the meat during the second half of the cook, rather than only on the outside as a topping
- Warming the tortillas on the same grill the pork just came off gives them a final touch of smoke flavor before the tacos are assembled
Smoked Pork Tacos with Pineapple Chipotle Salsa
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.1 stars by 7 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
12
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
6 hours
Calories
438
Take us back to the beach… This week Chef Tom is reminiscing about the good ol’ days. Smoking hundreds of pounds of Creekstone Farms pork on the beach, feeding a thousand of our closest friends tacos. We may not be able to travel back in time, but we can still make delicious tacos at home (on a smaller scale, of course).
Ingredients
- 1 (8lb) Boston Butt Pork Shoulder
-
Cornhusker Spray Duck Fat
-
Plowboys BBQ Yardbird Rub
-
Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
- Caramelo flour tortillas
- 1 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
-
1 cup Kansas Flavor Bread & Butter Pickled jalapeños
- 1 lb tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 large yellow onion (2.5 oz total)
- 1/4 cup crushed pineapple
- 1/2 jalapeño, halved lengthwise
- 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice
-
Noble Saltworks Whiskey Barrel Smoked Flaked Finishing Salt, to taste
For the Pineapple Chipotle Salsa:
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 300ºF, set up for smoking/indirect grilling.
- Apply a layer of binder to the surface of the pork butt to help the rub stick. Season with equal parts Plowboys BBQ Yardbird Rub and Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning.
- While the pork cooks, prepare the salsa. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until the salsa is totally broken down and smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Smoke the pork until a bark is formed, about 3.5-4 hours. Remove from the grill. Place on foil and add 1/2 cup crushed pineapple. Wrap tightly. Return to the grill.
- Continue cooking until the pork is tender enough to shred. The internal temperature will be over 200ºF.
- Remove the pork from the grill. Remove the shoulder blade bone from the pork. Shred the pork by hand, using cotton gloves and nitriles as heat protection.
- Place the tortillas on the grill to warm.
- Fill the warmed tortillas with the shredded pork. Top with the pineapple chipotle salsa. Finish with a sprinkle of cotija cheese. Finish the Smoked Pork Tacos with Kansas Flavor Bread & Butter Pickled jalapeños and serve warm.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why blend the Pineapple Chipotle Salsa while the pork is still smoking instead of making it right before serving?
Building the salsa early means it's fully blended and chilled in the refrigerator by the time the pork finishes and gets shredded, rather than needing to make it at the last minute while guests wait.
Why season the pork with both Plowboys BBQ Yardbird Rub and Cattleman's Grill Mexicano Seasoning?
Combining the two layers a sweeter, more classic barbecue flavor with a taco-forward spice blend, rather than relying on a single seasoning to carry the whole flavor profile.
Why wrap the pork with crushed pineapple once the bark has formed, instead of adding pineapple only as a topping?
Wrapping it in with crushed pineapple during the second half of the cook lets that sweetness and moisture work directly into the meat, rather than only sitting on top as a garnish after the pork is already shredded.
Why warm the tortillas on the same grill the pork just came off of?
Using the grill's residual heat and smoke gives the tortillas a final touch of that same smoky flavor right before the tacos are assembled, rather than warming them in a separate pan with no connection to the pork.
What internal temperature should the pork butt actually reach?
This recipe smokes it until tender enough to shred, at an internal temperature over 200°F, well above the USDA minimum of 145°F for whole-muscle pork. That higher target is what breaks down the connective tissue for shredding, not a food safety requirement.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
1 out of 5 — this is a 6-hour cook built entirely around a pellet grill's low, steady wood smoke. An oven can render the pork tender, but you'll lose the bark and smoke flavor this recipe is built around.
Recipe Highlights
Early-made salsa: Ready and chilled by the time the pork finishes.
Double seasoning layer: Combines sweet barbecue and taco-forward spice.
Pineapple-wrapped finishing stage: Builds sweetness directly into the meat.
Grill-warmed tortillas: Picks up residual smoke before assembly.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 14.63 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 438
- Carbs
- 28 grams
- Protein
- 30 grams
- Fat
- 22 grams
- Sodium
- 957 milligrams
