These pork tacos are salty, sweet, tangy, zesty, and just about everything in between! Slow cooked and seasoned pork belly is paired with deliciously fresh ingredients like lime juice, cilantro, mango salsa, and jalapeno. The taco meat gets piled into a crispy, baked taco shell with all of the delicious toppings added in. Trust me, you do not want to miss out on these tacos and all of the flavor you’ll experience when you eat them!

Recently on the radio, I heard someone mention how the person had never had a taco and had no desire to do so. My jaw literally dropped. Tacos are my FAVORITE food. When I get asked what food I would eat for the rest of my life, the answer is always tacos. While I love good, old Americanized tacos, I like how many other varieties there are and how versatile they seem to be. These pork tacos are the ones you didn’t know you needed in your life. They are mild but pack a punch of flavor, and the mango salsa adds a hint of sweetness. It’s like a party in your mouth! I first became inspired to make these after eating a similar creation at JoJo’s Restaurant & Taphouse in Frederick, Maryland, one of my favorite small towns. Unfortunately, they no longer make them, but I’m so glad I do because I need them in my life!

Crispy shells are the way to go as they add a delightful crunch. Fresh toppings like cilantro, lime juice, and cotija cheese provide a mouthful of flavor with a mix of salty, bitter, tangy, and sweet. I salivate every time I even think about making these tacos because they are just that good.

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What type of pork should I use for these tacos?

While it might be a little harder to come by (at least around where I live), pork belly makes these tacos insanely delicious. A close second is pork shoulder, which is typically used for pulled pork and carnitas. Since we are slow cooking the pork, pork loin and roast won’t work very well, as they tend to turn out dry and have less fat, so they don’t encapsulate the delicious flavors that the pork belly and shoulder do.

Tips for making the pork tacos

Add some citrus. For best flavor, add some citrus as it brightens up the pork. My personal favorite is orange juice but a little lime juice works well, too! Just be careful, because it can turn the pork bitter if you add too much.

Buy the seasoning. To make things easier for yourself, purchase pre-packaged taco seasoning. I know some people have very strong opinions on pre-packaged seasoning, but I personally love it. If you want to make your own, here’s a super simple taco seasoning recipe.

Remove the fat cap…or don’t. After doing some research, it’s important that, if you have a pork belly, you should keep the fat cap, as this is where the flavor comes from and helps to enhance the meat. However, if you have a pork shoulder, you can go ahead and remove the fat cap. Too much will just make your pork overly greasy, and no one wants that!

Making the Pork

The most important part of these tacos is the pork because it’s the only actual cooking that’s going to be done. Everything else just requires a little bit of chopping and assembly (unless you’re making the mango salsa yourself – but it’s totally worth the extra work!).

To save some time and preparation, the pork gets thrown into a slow cooker with some seasonings, juices, and add-ins and cooked on low. That’s it! It’s so ridiculously easy but the flavor is incredible. These tacos, when made correctly, are melt in your mouth good.

The seasonings/flavorings in the pork include:

Taco seasoning. Pre-packaged or homemade depending on your preference.
Diced jalapenos. For less spicy taco meat, make sure to deseed and discard the seeds; keep the seeds if you like your tacos spicy.
Diced yellow onion
Juice of an orange. Squeeze the juice from an orange – do not use juice from a can or carton!
Chicken broth. I always use low-sodium chicken broth. When using a slow cooker, you need to add some kind of liquid so the meat doesn’t dry out. Chicken broth works great with pork, but vegetable broth or stock would also work well.

Making the Mango Salsa

Guys…you NEED to add this mango salsa to these tacos. Absolutely no exceptions. They are what enhance the flavor, adding just a little sweetness to the salty pork and cotija cheese. Now, you can typically find mango salsa already made at most grocery stores, but I think it’s a little more fun to make it yourself. Sure this will add a little time to your overall prep, but it always tastes better! If you are buying it from the store, you want to buy FRESH mango salsa that’s chopped, not the blender kind of salsa. That might be ok, but I’ve never tried it on these tacos and don’t think I’m going to anytime soon.

Ingredients you’ll need:

Diced mango
Diced jalapeno
Diced red onion
Diced red bell pepper
Chopped cilantro
Juice of lime
Honey (optional)

Tips on making the salsa

Dice the mango. If you’ve never diced a mango before, check out this video on how to easily dice one. The pit always makes it a little tricky and unfortunately, there’s not much you can do with it.

Add some honey. While the honey is optional, I found that the salsa can taste a little tart from the acidity in the lime juice. My remedy for that is adding some honey. You can add it in after everything is mixed and go by taste. An easier way to incorporate it though, is to mix the lime juice and honey together. I would start with 1 teaspoon and taste it, then add more as you need to. You don’t want it overly sweet.

Chop the ingredients yourself. Ugh, yes, I get it. That’s a lot of ingredients to chop! And yes, you can buy most of those ingredients already chopped and prepared from the store, but they will certainly not be as fresh. Some even have preservatives added to them to increase their shelf lives. Your best course of action is to chop the ingredients yourself. You can prep this salsa ahead of time and use it whenever, but it’s best if used within the week of making it.

Cut the tang of the onion. Here’s a genius trick I learned. If you like onion but don’t like how pungent it can be, after dicing your onion, place the pieces in some ice water for a few minutes! It truly works. Make sure to drain the onions when you’re ready to use.

Ingredients for the tacos

I’m so finicky about these tacos. I make them the exact same way every time because they are THAT good. However, if you want to change them up, feel free! Here’s what all I use to fully assemble the tacos:

Taco shells (I use these taco shells. You can’t go wrong with Old El Paso Stand N’ Stuff!)
Pork taco meat
Cotija cheese
Cilantro
Lime wedges
Shredded purple cabbage
Mango salsa
Diced jalapenos
Diced red onion

I think if I had my way, I would honestly make these tacos every week. They are like a party in your mouth! The best part is they are fresh and mostly healthy! I’m always looking for ways to make my recipes a little healthier and I love that I can do that with these tacos.

I’m not sure where you’ve been all your life but I think you might be sad if you never end up making them! Guys, these are seriously easy and I am so glad I decided to share them with you. If you love this recipe, make sure to Pin it and share it with your friends so they can enjoy these pork tacos, too. I know you won’t regret it!