Best Sous Vide Smokey BBQ Pork Tacos Recipe

This basic sous vide pulled pork recipe is absolutely delicious and completely versatile. This version, a sous vide barbecue pulled pork shoulder, is a delicious sous vide main dish. Easy enough to serve for a quick dinner, this pulled pork is also mouthwatering enough to be the star at an event or party. I love making pork sous vide style for football games, March Madness parties and potlucks, since not much work goes into cooking the pork, but there’s enough to feed a hungry crowd.

Here’s a video of the recipe…

(Keep scrolling for step-by-step directions!)

Let’s Make Tasty Sous Vide BBQ Tacos

While I love traditional barbecue and smoked pulled pork, the weather here in Portland, Oregon, doesn’t always allow for outdoor cooking. Plus, those methods require someone to be home and watching the food as it cooks.

That’s where this super easy sous vide pork recipe comes in.

Cooking pork shoulder sous vide style makes extremely tender shredded pork for carnitas tacos or pulled pork sandwiches. Plus, you can take the base of this pulled pork sous vide recipe and turn it into a variety of dishes.

New to sous vide techniques? Learn why is sous vide so popular.

Seasoning for Sous Vide Pork Tacos

All you need for this easy pulled pork recipe is a 3-pound pork shoulder plus your favorite BBQ seasoning, black pepper, and a little bit of olive oil. And don’t forget to grab your favorite carnitas tacos toppings!

How to make sous vide pulled pork for BBQ tacos

Today you’re going to learn how to make beautiful sous vide pulled pork for tacos that’s tender on the inside, and has a thick, flavorful seared bark on the outside.

Step 1. First, you will need to prepare the sous vide bath by programming the sous vide machine to 165 degrees.

Step 2. Then, you should generously rub the pork shoulder with BBQ seasoning and black pepper. You can use a little olive oil to help the seasonings stick to the pork.

PRO TIP: If you’re looking for a good BBQ blend, try Bone Suckin’ Seasoning Blend or this Smokehouse Coffee BBQ Rub.

Step 3. Now it is time to sear the pork shoulder to form a thick bark. Searing the pork shoulder before adding it to the sous vide bag adds a boatload of flavor to the pork. Personally, I think the thick bark on the ends of tender sous vide pulled pork is the best part! In fact, at my favorite BBQ tent at the farmers market, “burnt ends” are an up-charge.

So don’t skip this step!

Step 4. Once the pork is seared, vacuum seal it. No additional liquid is needed in the sous vide bag.

Check out more of my favorite game day recipes. 

Step 5. Once complete, remove the sous vide pork shoulder from the water bath.

Step 6. Next, pull apart the tender sous vide pork with a fork.

Step 7. It’s finally time to the pork to your taco vessel of choice! I served this batch of BBQ pulled pork sous vide style on flour tortillas with coleslaw, caramelized onions, avocado, and pork sauce.

FAQs

What is the time and degree setting for this recipe?

This is a 48 hour sous vide pork shoulder recipe set at 165 degrees. 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.

What type of container should I use for the sous vide pulled pork?

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.

How about a sous vide side dish?

Buttery and always juicy sous vide sweet corn on the cob is a perfect addition to these tacos. It comes with a tasty sauce made of cilantro, lime and jalapeno to spice things up!

How Do you Cook a Bone in Pork Shoulder for Sous Vide Tacos?

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 do you get the perfect sear?

How to get the perfect sear on sous vide pork shoulder — 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.

What should I do with the leftovers?

Tender food makes the best leftovers! Add them to some toast with soft boiled sous vide eggs. Or go a step further and get fancy. Enjoy left over pulled pork for breakfast in these breakfast tacos with sous vide onions. 

Breakfast tacos are also delish with leftover sous vide brisket, pork butt, and pork chops. I never thought I’d enjoy leftovers so much, but with sous vide recipes, the leftovers are always notch because the food comes out so tender.

Make a Sauce from the Pork Juice

Reserve the pork juice from the sous vide bag to make a sauce. Reduce the pork juice on the stove with a pat of butter. Add a little BBQ sauce or hot sauce to the pork juice to amp up the flavor. If you haven’t tried it yet, this chipotle hot sauce is one of my favs.

(PSST… If you’re a big fan of long-cook sous vide recipes, check out this recipe for 24 hour sous vide beef ribs. The ribs are super tender.) 

Tasty Tips

• Cole slaw, avocado, and caramelized sous vide onions make a wonderful taco toppings
• Here are a couple BBQ seasoning recommendations: Bone Suckin’ Seasoning Blend and Smokehouse Coffee BBQ Rub
• Leftover sous vide pulled pork is delicious tossed on a homemade pizza with BBQ sauce and mozzarella
• For 48 hour sous vide recipes like this one, it’s smart to invest in a large sous vide container, or at least buy a lid for a standard size container
• If you use an open container without a lid, cover the sous vide bath with foil and watch (and continue to replenish) the water level
• Check out my post on sous vide accessories to learn about tools that make long sous vide recipes easier to execute

Your taco-loving, pulled pork sous vide cookin’ foodie friend, Jenna.

Find new ways to enjoy your favorite food by cooking sous vide. Get inspired with my new book – The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

Why sous vide pork instead of traditional methods?

Pork was one of those ingredients I rarely got at the store before learning how to sous vide it. When I cooked it with traditional methods on the stove or grill, it always came out dry.

Until one day I decided to wing it and ordered some pork chops from the online butcher as part of a “stock up” freezer pack. I thought I’d give them another go. Well, sous vide pork recipes quickly became an obsession in our house.

The pork turns out so tender – never chewy or dry – when cooked underwater in a bag. It’s strange, sure, but some of the best restaurants have been using the sous vide technique of cooking pork and steaks for decades. Come to find out, they were on to something!

These days I’m always adding ingredients for Sous Vide Pork Recipes to my online orders for meat delivery. Especially since as a busy mom I’m making way less trips to the grocery store.

I know some of the Sip Bite Go readers haven’t tried sous vide food yet (or you don’t realize Chipotle’s meats are sous vide and you’ve been eating it for years!) but it’s truly a new way to experience food and cook restaurant style food at home.

More recipes with pork you might like…

• Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin Recipe (+ Mustard BBQ Sauce)
• Sous Vide Bone In Pork Chops With Jalapeño Ranch Sauce
• Making Quesadillas with Leftover BBQ Pork Ribs and IP Rice
• Tasty Sous Vide Pork Butt (AKA Boston Butt)
• Sous Vide Boneless Pork Chops
• Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin
• Sous Vide Sausage
• NEW! Sous Vide Pulled Pork Recipe
• Sous Vide Pork Belly
• Sous Vide Pork Medallions
• And let’s not forget Sous Vide Overnight Bacon!

Share your sous vide cooking 

If you’ve tried this recipe and made your own sous vide pulled pork, don’t eat it it till it’s photographed– you need to share that beauty with the world! Include #sipbitego and tag @sipbitego on Instagram – I’d love to see your pic.