Juicy sous vide pork tacos are a delicious way to enjoy slow cooked pork with the sous vide machine. Load these up with your favorite taco condiments including a bbq sauce made with leftover pork juice from the sous vide bag. I’ll teach you how!
Why This Sous Vide Pork Tacos Recipe is So Damn Tasty
Make juicy, meaty sous vide pork tacos for an easy weeknight dinner, game day main dish, or backyard potluck dinner everyone will love. Here’s why…
- Most tender ever. Cooking pulled pork sous vide style makes extremely tender shredded pork for carnitas tacos or pulled pork sandwiches.
- Mostly hands-off.
- Extremely flavorful.
- High-quality leftovers that stay juicy for days.
- Foolproof. My sous vide pork tacos recipe always turns out perfect.
New to sous vide techniques? Learn why is sous vide so popular.
Ingredients for Sous Vide Pork Tacos
- 3-pound pork
- BBQ salt (or your favorite bbq seasoning for tacos, plus some salt)
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
Taco toppings and serving ideas
Don’t forget to have your favorite sous vide pulled pork tacos toppings on hand. Here’s what I like:
- Corn tortillas
- Flour tortillas (see how to freeze flour tortillas)
- Slaw
- Avocado
- Rice
- Refried beans (see how to freeze refried beans)
- Sous vide corn, sliced from the cob
- Sautéed onions and peppers
- BBQ sauce with leftover pork sous vide juice (shared at the end of this recipe page)
See how to make a steak salsa marinade…
See these tasty taco night smoker recipes…
How to make sous vide pulled pork for BBQ tacos
Step 1. Prepare the sous vide bath by programming the sous vide machine / precision cooker to 165 degrees F.
Step 2. In a small bowl, mix together the BBQ salt seasoning and pepper. Generously rub the pork with the seasonings. You can drizzle a little olive oil on the pork to help the seasonings stick.
PRO TIP: If you’re looking for a good BBQ blend, try Bone Suckin’ Seasoning Blend or this Smokehouse Coffee BBQ Rub.
Step 3. Sear the pork to form a thick bark. Searing the pork before adding it to the sous vide vacuum sealer bag adds a boatload of flavor to it. This is called a “reverse sear” in the sous vide culinary world.
Personally, I think the thick bark on the ends of tender sous vide pulled pork is the best part! Just one more photo because it looks so freakin good at this point…
Don’t skip this searing step!
Step 4. Once the pork is seared, vacuum seal it. No additional liquid is needed in the sous vide bag before it’s vacuum sealed. And no, you don’t need butter in the bag.
Step 5. Sous vide pulled pork for 48 hours at 165 degrees F.
For best results, use a lid on the sous vide container or cover it with foil and a kitchen cloth to prevent the heat from escaping. Check on the water periodically to make sure the pork remains underwater during the entire cook.
Step 6. Once complete, remove the sous vide cooked pulled pork from the water.
I don’t find it necessary to put pulled pork in an ice bath with cold water and ice, like I would a sous vide prime rib, when the tacos will be made right away. I also don’t find it necessary to pat the pork dry with paper towels for this particular recipe.
Optional: Reserve the juice leftover from sous vide pork in the vacuum seal bag to make a porky bbq sauce (directions following this taco recipe.)
Step 7. Next, pull apart the tender sous vide pork with a fork.
Step 8. Assemble tacos with pulled pork sous vide meat and toppings.
Check out more of my favorite game day recipes.
Make BBQ Sauce With Sous Vide Pork Juice
Step 1. Reserve the pork juice from the sous vide bag to make a sauce.
Step 2. In a small sauce pan or skillet on the stove, set to medium-high heat, add the pork juice and 2 tbsp of butter. When the butter melts, add ¼ cup BBQ sauce and stir as it bubbles on medium-high for about 2 minutes.
Step 3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer on the stove for 5-10 minutes until it reduces to desired thickness.
How to prepare corn tortillas
Heat a large pan on the stove to medium heat. You can add a little butter or olive oil, but don’t add too much as it will make the corn tortillas crispy and not soft. To warm corn tortillas so they are soft and flexible, cook them 1-2 at a time so they don’t overlap, flipping before they start to burn. Prepare tortillas immediately before serving.
Also see this guide to smoked pulled pork.
FAQs
This is a 48 hour sous vide pork recipe set at 165 degrees. While you can find recipes for 18 to 24 hours cook time, I’ve tried cooking 24 hour pulled pork, and found that isn’t enough time for the tender quality I like in pulled pork tacos.
Sous vide pork at 48 hours cooks best in a covered large sous vide container. If you have a smaller, 12, 18, or 22 quart sous vide container, then cover the top with foil or a lid. If you use an open container without a lid, you’ll want to watch the water level.
Buttery and always juicy sous vide sweet corn on the cob is a perfect addition to these tacos. So is a drizzle of this jalapeno ranch dressing. To start things off, serve a sous vide beet salad with goat cheese and arugula.
You can cook a bone in pork shoulder with this same sous vide recipe, as long as the weight of the meat is about the same.
How to get the perfect sear for sous vide pulled pork — Heat a pan on the stove to medium-high. Add olive oil to pan, then sear each side of the pork shoulder (don’t forget those end caps!) until a thick brown bark seals the edges of the meat.
In the AM, add leftover pulled pork to some toast with soft boiled sous vide eggs or use it in these breakfast tacos with sous vide onions. For dinner the next day, make this leftover pulled pork pizza.
Love smoked meats but unsure where to start with your own smoker? Check out this post on smoking meat for beginners.
The Perfect Sous Vide Setup
Everyday I’m asked, “what do you need to sous vide food?”. Here’s my answer.
- A sous vide machine.
Option 1: “stick” models like the Joule, Anova, or Instant Pot Slim.
Option 2: “multipot” models like the SousPreme or InstantPot Duo Evo Plus. - Sous vide container.
If using a sous vide “stick” model, you need something to hold the water the food cooks in, like a bucket or stockpot. - Bags to cook sous vide food.
Keep it simple and sous vide in ziplock gallon bags, or get fancy like me with a vacuum sealer setup. - Nice-to-have accessories for sous vide cooking.
– Sous vide weights to hold down food that floats.
– Mini mason jars for desserts and sous vide egg bites.
– Cast iron skillet to sear sous vide steaks to finish them. - My sous vide cookbook with 100+ recipes.
Try a new sous vide recipe…
- Sous vide salmon
- Sous vide frozen steak
- See how long to sous vide chicken
- Learn how to sous vide frozen chicken breast
- Sous vide chicken wings
- Sous vide chicken breast tenders
- Sous vide pork chops
Are you a sous vide enthusiast, too?
I’m passionate about sous vide cooking, and maybe that’s why Sip Bite Go has become one of the most popular sous vide blogs on the web.
This food hobby, turned blog, has recently become a sous vide cookbook.
Find new ways to enjoy your favorite food with sous vide cooking. Get inspired with over a hundred recipes in my cookbook – The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.
Another recipe to try here is this smoked bacon wrapped pork tenderloin. It’s so tasty!
Find me on Instagram @sipbitego to let me know what you’re going to sous vide next. And check out my latest sous vide recipe videos on the Sip Bite Go channel.
Easy Mexican food inspired recipes on Sip Bite Go…
- chicken enchiladas (a must-try recipe)
- Homemade enchilada sauce
- fajita sides
- make ahead Mexican salad
- recipe for Mexican pasta salad
- smoked Mexican food for taco night
- Mexican tortellini salad
- griddled quesadillas
- griddled chicken fajitas
- smoked salsa
- smoked queso
- smoked margaritas
- sauteed peppers and onions for fajitas
- Taco Bell inspired ground beef pizza
- Pizza Hut inspired taco-flavored ground beef pizza
- salsa marinade for steak
- how to freeze refried beans
More pork recipes to try…
- See all my sous vide pork recipes
- Sous vide pulled pork
- Sous vide pork tacos
- Sous vide pork butt
- Sous vide pork loin
- Sous vide bone in pork chop
- Sous vide boneless pork chops (grill finish)
- Sous vide pork tenderloin
- Sous Vide Overnight Bacon
- Quesadillas with leftover pork
- Pulled pork pizza
- Smoked pork belly burnt ends
Sous Vide Pork Tacos (Sip Bite Go)
Ingredients
For Sous Vide Pulled Pork
- 3 lb pork shoulder
- 1.5 tbsp bbq salt (or bbq seasoning and add salt)
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For BBQ Sauce With Sous Vide Pork Juice
- 2 tbsp pork juice reserved from vacuum sealer bag
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
Taco Toppings And Serving Ideas
- tortillas corn / flour
- avocado
- salsa
- rice
- sour cream
- coleslaw
Instructions
Sous Vide Pork Taco Meat Steps
- Prepare the sous vide bath by programming the sous vide machine / precision cooker to 165 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the BBQ salt seasoning and pepper. Generously rub the pork with the seasonings. You can drizzle a little of the olive oil on the pork to help the seasonings stick.
- Sear the pork to form a thick bark. Heat a large cast iron skillet on the stove to medium-high and add oil. When oil begins to smoke, add the pork. Sear each side of the pork until a brown crust forms. (Searing the pork before adding it to the sous vide vacuum sealer bag adds a boatload of flavor to it. This is called a “reverse sear” in the sous vide culinary world.)
- Once the pork is seared, vacuum seal it. No additional liquid is needed in the sous vide bag.
- Sous vide pulled pork for 48 hours at 165 degrees F. For best results, use a lid on the sous vide container or cover it with foil and a kitchen cloth to prevent the heat from escaping. Check on the water periodically to make sure the pork remains underwater during the entire cook.
- Once complete, remove the sous vide cooked pulled pork from the water. Optional: Reserve the juice leftover from sous vide pork in the vacuum seal bag to make a porky bbq sauce (directions following this taco recipe.)
- Pull apart the tender sous vide pork with a fork.
- Assemble tacos with pulled pork sous vide meat and toppings.
BBQ Sauce With Sous Vide Pork Juice Steps
- Reserve the pork juice from the sous vide bag to make a sauce.
- In a small sauce pan or skillet on the stove, set to medium-high heat, add the pork juice and butter. When the butter melts, add BBQ sauce and stir as it bubbles on medium-high for about 2 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer on the stove for 5-10 minutes until it reduces to desired thickness.
How to prepare corn tortillas
- Heat a large pan on the stove to medium heat. You can add a little butter or olive oil, but don't add too much as it will make the corn tortillas crispy and not soft. To warm corn tortillas so they are soft and flexible, cook them 1-2 at a time so they don't overlap, flipping before they start to burn. Prepare tortillas immediately before serving.
Video
Notes
- Corn tortillas
- Slaw
- Avocado
- Sous vide corn, sliced from the cob
- Sautéed onions and peppers
- BBQ sauce with leftover pork sous vide juice
David says
Awesomely awesome 😎 👏🏻 I did not expect this delicious, tasty explosion of melt-in-your-mouth, fall-apart porky pig goodness in my life. “Open a restaurant!” I made my own rub, and wouldn’t change a thing. Worth the wait ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I want to do a smaller piece of pork, should I can’t the time?
Thank you from Australia.
Arun says
Wow, this looks so delicious. I need to try it. I have never earlier made it. Thank you for the recipe.
aisasami says
This is amazing! Pulled pork is a rarity here in Japan, only fun in places like Costco. Whenever I get pulled pork, I have to try this out!
Pamela Stinson says
This was the easiest recipe to follow and was simply amazing. Needed to top off the water once, only had it in for 30 hours. We used it for pulled pork sandwiches.
Developer says
Pamela, so happy your sous vide pulled pork turned out well.
Angela Tolsma says
This sounds delicious! I would love to try making it one day! Definitely would need to do some prep work!
Shar says
I’ve never tried sous vide cooking yet. Having read about this method a lot lately, I’m going to give it a try!
Melanie williams says
My other half would love this for sure. He is meat mad, so this is deffo his kind of dish xx
Christa says
I have never made soups vide but I see it on Food Network all the time. Lol. I need to branch out of my comfort zone and finally try it.
Vannie says
It turns out so good. This is my favorite way to cook and favorite type of food. I will save this recipe. Thanks for sharing
Developer says
Vannie, glad to hear your sous vide pork shoulder turned out delicious.
Glenda says
Yum, this looks so delicious. I love the meat is so soft it falls off the bone. Also, the avocado must taste so delicious with it too.
Developer says
Hey Glenda, Thanks for letting me know how your pulled pork cooked sous vide style turned out. I agree- the meat gets so juicy and tender! Avocado is a perfect topping.
Stephanie says
My oldest son is obsessed with tacos lately. He will eat almost anything if it’s in taco form. I’ve never made anything sous vide before, though, so it would be a new method for me!
Ericha Cook says
What is the sauce your are passing over it when plated?
Developer says
Hey! It’s a pan sauce – the mixture of the juices from the bag reduced down with butter until thickened slightly.
Tisha says
Love pulled pork! This looks amazing! T
Taylor Kiser says
This looks so delicious! Such a great meal for feeding a crowd!
Annissa says
This recipe is perfect as a ready made meat for other main dishes aside from tacos and sandwiches. Looks so tasty thanks for sharing!
Ben Myhre says
I have a Sous Vide, but havent even opened the box! I am a terrible person, I know. This looks really good and I might have to give this recie a try! I mean, I love pulled pork, as well.
Jenna says
What?! Time to open the box! Sous Vide cooking is so much fun!