Make elements ahead for an easy weeknight meal! I like to cook the pork overnight and shred in the morning so it's ready to go at dinner time.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time4 hourshrs15 minutesmins
Total Time4 hourshrs45 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: Korean, Tacos
Servings: 12tacos
Calories: 249kcal
Equipment
CrockPot
Ingredients
For the Pulled Pork
2-3poundspork shoulder/butt
½cupreduced sodium soy sauce
½cupwater
1teaspoonsesame oil
1tablespoonrice vinegar
3clovesgarlicminced
½teaspoonground ginger
½teaspoonpepper
For the Korean BBQ Sauce
¼cuplow sodium soy sauce
¼cupwater
¼cupbrown sugar
1garlic cloveminced
1tablespoonrice vinegar
1teaspoonsesame oil
½teaspoonground ginger
¼teaspoonpepper
2teaspoonschili paste such as Sambal Oelekmore or less to taste
1tablespooncornstarch
2tablespoonswater
For the Quick Kimchi
6cupsshredded cabbage16 oz bag of store-bought works great!
3tablespoonscanola oil
6tablespoonsrice vinegar
2teaspoonschili paste such as Sambal Oelekmore or less to taste
½teaspoonground gingerfresh or powdered
3tablespoonsgranulated sugar
1 ½teaspoonssesame oil
½teaspooneach salt & peppermore to taste
For Serving
1packagecorn tortillas
1cupMexican shredded cheesestore bought
½cupdiced green onionsgreen part only
sesame seeds to sprinkle on top
Instructions
For the Pulled Pork
Place the pork butt/shoulder in a slow cooker. In a separate bowl stir together the remaining ingredients. Pour over pork, cover and cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high—until it falls off the bone.
Once meat is cooked through and falls apart easily, shred with a fork and discard bones. Return meat to slow cooker to soak up the sauce.
Turn broiler on to high and let heat for a few minutes. On a dark baking sheet, lay out a single layer of shredded pork, draining some of the sauce when you transfer to the cooking sheet.
Place on the top rack of the oven and let meat get some slightly crisp areas. This takes about 5-10 minutes, stirring once. Check it often so you don't burn it. This step adds flavor intensity and texture variation.
Once meat has been broiled, transfer to a bowl to store for later or serve now.
For the BBQ Sauce
Add all ingredients, except for 2 tablespoon water and cornstarch, to a skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, combine water and cornstarch until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture to sauce and continue to boil until sauce thickens (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to serve. (If you like sauce, then double this recipe, it's amazing and you'll want a lot of it!)
For the Quick Kimchi
Place cabbage in a large bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour over cabbage and mix well. Set aside for serving right away, or store in an airtight container until ready.
Assemble
Wrap corn tortillas in a wet paper towel and place on a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until tortillas are very hot. This step helps your tortillas stay together while you're eating!
Add meat, sauce, cheese and kimchi to each taco. Top with green onions and sesame seeds. ENJOY!
Notes
I make all of these elements ahead of time and then toss the meat with some sauce in a skillet to heat before serving. But you can also just drizzle the sauce on top.