Shredded Pork Tacos with sweet and crispy caramelized pork, pineapple, and onions. An easy taco recipe perfect for feeding a crowd!

These Shredded Pork Tacos are inspired by one of my favorite things to order at a restaurant near us! Sweet pork tacos with caramelized onions and pineapple.

They are absolutely not something I would have ordered on my own. The first time we went, our friends told us we had to get them. We ordered them and now they’re what I get every single time.

The restaurant makes their pork on a giant spit and shaves it off as it cooks. So you get all of these crispy caramelized edges mixed in with the pork. It’s delicious. But it’s very much not happening in my kitchen.

So I wanted to figure out how to get those same flavors in a much easier, make-at-home version.

Enter: shredded pork.

Instead of standing over anything, you cut a pork shoulder into a few big pieces, season it with taco seasoning, add Coke and chicken broth, and put the whole thing in the oven. A few hours later, it’s tender enough to shred with basically no effort.

Then comes the important part: the broiler.

Once the pork is shredded and mixed with the sweet enchilada sauce, I spread it out on a sheet pan and broil it for a few minutes. The little pieces around the edges get crispy and caramelized, which gives you some of that same texture that makes the restaurant version so good.

You can absolutely skip this step if you’re in a hurry. But if you have the extra five minutes I highly recommend!!

A very forgiving taco situation

One of my favorite things about these pulled pork tacos is that you can decide how involved you want to get with the toppings.

If we’re doing the full restaurant-inspired situation, I make caramelized onions and caramelized pineapple, then serve everything with tortillas and street corn.

The sweet pineapple with the salty pork is SO good. And the caramelized onions are my favorite part.

But you absolutely do not need all of that every time you make these. If you want maximum reward for minimal-ish effort, make the pork and street corn and call it a day. The street corn is just frozen corn, queso fresco, cilantro, green onions, lime juice, and salt. It takes a few minutes to throw together and makes the tacos feel like a whole meal without requiring another complicated side.

If you want to go above and beyond…

Sear some cheese directly onto the tortilla before you fill it. Sprinkle a little shredded cheese into a hot skillet, lay the tortilla right on top, and let it cook until the cheese gets crispy and golden.

Then fill it with the shredded pork and go all in with the caramelized pineapple, caramelized onions, and a big spoonful of guacamole.

It is definitely an extra step, but the crispy cheese situation with the sweet pork and pineapple is SO good. This is how I’d make them if we were having people over or I wanted the full restaurant-at-home version.

These Shredded Pork Tacos are SO good for a crowd

This has become one of my favorite meals when we’re feeding a lot of people because the pork is almost entirely hands-off and you can make a huge batch without creating a huge amount of extra work.

I’ve made it for our small group before and spread all of the shredded pork onto a giant sheet pan, broiled it, then kept it warm in the oven until everyone was ready to eat.

It got absolutely demolished… which will never not be the best feeling when you’re feeding people.

If you need to stretch the meal even further without getting another pork shoulder, I’ve also made the chicken and bean mixture from our favorite chicken taco salads to serve alongside the pork.

Then you have two taco fillings without really making two completely separate meals.

Can you make the pork in the slow cooker?

Yes! I usually make these Shredded Pork Tacos in the oven because I love how the pork gets some browning bark from the oven. But pork shoulder is also perfect for the slow cooker.

You can put the seasoned pork, Coke, and chicken broth in the slow cooker and slow cook it until the pork easily pulls apart with a fork. Once it’s tender, shred the pork, toss it with the sweet sauce, and finish it under the broiler just like the oven version.

Make them now, eat them later

These are also one of those meals that makes future-you very happy.

If I’m already making the pork, I’ll sometimes double it and freeze half. Cook and shred the pork completely, mix it with the sauce, but don’t broil the portion you’re freezing.

Let it cool and freeze it with plenty of the sauce so it doesn’t dry out.

When you want tacos, thaw the pork and warm it in the microwave or oven. Then spread it onto a sheet pan and broil it right before serving. You still get those freshly caramelized edges without having to slow cook a pork shoulder that day.

It’s also a great way to prep for a party or group dinner. You can have essentially the entire main dish finished ahead of time and just broil it before everyone eats.

A few easy swaps for these shredded pork tacos

Pork shoulder is my favorite cut for this because it has enough fat to stay tender through the longer cooking time. I usually use boneless because it’s easier, but pork butt works too, and bone-in is completely fine. Just account for the weight of the bone when you’re buying it.

You can also make a chicken version with chicken thighs. They’ll cook much faster, so start checking them around the 1 1/2-hour mark rather than following the pork cooking time.

For the taco seasoning, packets make this incredibly easy, but homemade works too. For a quick version, mix chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.

Regular Coca-Cola is my preference for the sauce because the sugar helps with the sweet, caramelized flavor we’re going for. Dr Pepper or root beer will work too. Orange juice is another option if you want something a little more citrusy and less sweet. And if you don’t have any of those, you can replace the soda with additional chicken broth.

The red enchilada sauce can be swapped for a mild taco sauce, and honey or white sugar can work in place of the brown sugar.

Fresh pineapple is my favorite for the caramelized pineapple, but canned or frozen works. Just drain or thaw it really well and pat it dry before cooking so it can actually caramelize instead of steaming.

And if fully caramelizing onions sounds like one task too many, just sauté them until they’re soft and browned.