Achiote Shredded Pork Tacos

Shredded pork tacos with Achiote Sauce topped with slices of avocado.

Achiote Shredded Pork Tacos is a beautifully savory dish where a pork shoulder is flavored with achiote paste and lime juice and slow cooked. Achiote turns this everyday pork roast into a fiesta.

Course Mexican

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 6

Servings

Calories 141kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

2 ounces achiote paste
1 teaspoon New Mexico Chimayo Chile Powder or ancho chile powder
¾ Cup lime juice
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
Banana leaves
3 pound bone-in pork shoulder roast
1 large onion white or yellow, sliced about ¼ inch thick
1 large red onion thinly sliced
½ Cup roasted fresh chile salsa

Instructions

Place the achiote seasoning in a small bowl. Pour in ½ C. of the lime juice and 2 teaspoons salt. Add the Chimayo or Ancho Chile powder. Use a fork to work the mixture into a smooth thickish marinade.
Line your slow cooker with banana leaves. Lay in the pork and pour the marinade over and around the meat.
Scatter the white onion over the meat.
Pour ½ C. water around the meat and sprinkle the top of the meat with the remaining salt.
Fold banana leaves to roughly cover everything.
Cover and slow-cook on high for 6 hours, until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. If you roast this in the oven, 300 degrees for 3 hours.
While the meat is cooking, combine the red onion with remaining ¼ cup lime juice in a small bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and set aside to marinate, stirring from time to time..
Use tongs to transfer the meat and onions to a cutting board. With forks, shred pork. Spoon off any rendered fat that's floating in the juices.
Ladle the brothy sauce into a large saucepan or fry pan and boil it down to about half. Add the shredded meat to the sauce and toss well. Top with the lime-marinated red onions and serve with the salsa and warm corn tortillas.

Notes

I don't always have banana leaves on hand, and have made this many times with simply slow roasting the pork in a Dutch oven or Slow Cooker.

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