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You are here: Home / Recipes / Sous Vide / Sous Vide Pulled Pork Shoulder for BBQ Tacos

Sous Vide Pulled Pork Shoulder for BBQ Tacos

Oct 24, 2018 · 21 Comments

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sous vide pulled pork shredded in a flour tortilla on a white board

The basic sous vide pulled pork recipe is completely versatile. This version, a sous vide barbecue pulled pork shoulder recipe, is a delicious sous vide main dish. Serve it for an easy dinner, event or party. We love making pork sous vide style for football games, march madness parties and potlucks. Not much work goes into cooking sous vide pork, and it’s an easy sous vide recipe to feed a crowd.

sous vide pulled pork with sauce on a cutting board

Let’s make tasty sous vide pulled pork

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.

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

sous vide pulled pork shredded in a flour tortilla on a white plate with avocado

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.

Here’s a video of the recipe…

(keep scrolling for step-by-step directions)

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

Here’s how it’s made, step-by-step…

Prepare the sous vide bath

Program the sous vide machine to 165 degrees.

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.

sous vide pulled pork seasoned with bbq rub on a sheet pan

Seasoning for sous vide pork shoulder

Generously rub pork shoulder with BBQ seasoning and black pepper. Using a little olive oil helps the seasoning stick.

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

pork shoulder searing in a pan on the stove

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!

sous vide pulled pork seared in a pan on the stove

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.

pork shoulder searing in a pan

Once the pork is seared, vacuum seal it. No additional liquid is needed in the bag.sous vide pulled pork in a vacuum sealed bag on a cutting board

Sous vide pulled pork temperature and time

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.

48 hour sous vide pulled pork cooling on a cutting board

Once complete, remove the sous vide pork shoulder from the water bath.hands shredding sous vide pork

Pull apart the tender sous vide pork with a fork.

sous vide pulled pork shredded in a flour tortilla

Add 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.

adding juice to pulled pork

Make a sauce from the sous vide 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.) 

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 sous vide?

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.

pulled pork taco

Tasty tips for cooking sous vide pulled pork shoulder tacos

  • 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.

tender shredded sous vide pulled pork

Have you tried to make your own salsa? My friend Jo at Nourishing Time has an easy homemade tomato salsa recipe – you have to try it. 

Have leftovers?? Lucky you!

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.

Tender food makes the best leftovers.

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.

sous vide beef on a cutting board with the sous vide cookbook by Jenna Passaro

Check out my sous vide cookbook on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

Print
Sous Vide Pulled Pork Shoulder for BBQ Tacos

Sous Vide Pulled Pork Shoulder for Tacos or Sandwiches (Sip Bite Go)

The basic sous vide pulled pork recipe is completely versatile. This version, a sous vide barbecue pulled pork shoulder recipe, is a hearty sous vide party dish. Serve it for an event or party, like football or march madness parties, easy dinners and potlucks. Not much work goes into cooking sous vide pork, and it's one of those easy sous vide recipes that can can feed a crowd.

Course Dinner, Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine American, BBQ, Mexican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 days
Total Time 2 days 10 minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 203 kcal
Author Jenna Passaro

Ingredients

  • 3 lb pork shoulder
  • 3 tbsp bbq seasoning or Whole30 compliant, no-sugar added seasoning
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Heat sous vide bath to 165 degrees. Rub pork shoulder with BBQ seasoning and black pepper. Heat a pan to medium-high. Add olive oil to pan, then sear each side of the pork shoulder until a thick brown bark seals the edges of the meat.

  2. Vacuum seal seared pork. Sous vide pork in the water bath for 48 hours. 

  3. Remove sous vide pork shoulder from water bath. Pull apart sous vide pork with a fork.

  4. (Optional) To create a sauce for this sous vide barbecue pulled pork shoulder recipe, transfer liquid from sous vide bag to a small pan on medium heat on the stove. Add 2 tbsp butter to the pork liquid and cook down to thicken the sauce. One tbsp BBQ sauce can also be added to this mixture for additional flavor.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • 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

Let's see your pork! Find me @sipbitego and tag #sipbitego so I can see your sous vide skills.

Nutrition Facts
Sous Vide Pulled Pork Shoulder for Tacos or Sandwiches (Sip Bite Go)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 203 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 69mg23%
Sodium 80mg3%
Potassium 401mg11%
Carbohydrates 4g1%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 145IU3%
Vitamin C 1.5mg2%
Calcium 73mg7%
Iron 3.3mg18%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Related

Game Day Recipes, Keto Friendly, Main Dish Recipes, Pork Recipes, Readers Favorites, Recipes, Sous Vide, Whole30 Approved bbq seasoning, black pepper, olive oil, Pork

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ben Myhre says

    November 14, 2018 at 5:28 pm

    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.5 stars

    Reply
    • Jenna says

      November 14, 2018 at 7:16 pm

      What?! Time to open the box! Sous Vide cooking is so much fun!

      Reply
  2. Annissa says

    November 14, 2018 at 6:35 pm

    This recipe is perfect as a ready made meat for other main dishes aside from tacos and sandwiches. Looks so tasty thanks for sharing!5 stars

    Reply
  3. Taylor Kiser says

    November 14, 2018 at 6:44 pm

    This looks so delicious! Such a great meal for feeding a crowd!5 stars

    Reply
  4. Tisha says

    November 14, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    Love pulled pork! This looks amazing! T5 stars

    Reply
  5. Ericha Cook says

    March 14, 2019 at 9:29 am

    What is the sauce your are passing over it when plated?

    Reply
    • Developer says

      March 23, 2019 at 8:55 pm

      Hey! It’s a pan sauce – the mixture of the juices from the bag reduced down with butter until thickened slightly.

      Reply
  6. Stephanie says

    July 8, 2019 at 4:34 pm

    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!

    Reply
  7. Glenda says

    July 8, 2019 at 5:37 pm

    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.5 stars

    Reply
    • Developer says

      July 29, 2019 at 9:18 am

      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.

      Reply
  8. Vannie says

    July 8, 2019 at 10:14 pm

    It turns out so good. This is my favorite way to cook and favorite type of food. I will save this recipe. Thanks for sharing5 stars

    Reply
    • Developer says

      July 29, 2019 at 9:17 am

      Vannie, glad to hear your sous vide pork shoulder turned out delicious.

      Reply
  9. Christa says

    July 8, 2019 at 10:36 pm

    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.

    Reply
  10. Melanie williams says

    July 9, 2019 at 3:43 am

    My other half would love this for sure. He is meat mad, so this is deffo his kind of dish xx

    Reply
  11. Shar says

    July 9, 2019 at 4:18 am

    I’ve never tried sous vide cooking yet. Having read about this method a lot lately, I’m going to give it a try!

    Reply
  12. Angela Tolsma says

    July 9, 2019 at 5:32 am

    This sounds delicious! I would love to try making it one day! Definitely would need to do some prep work!

    Reply
  13. Pamela Stinson says

    July 9, 2019 at 8:43 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Developer says

      July 29, 2019 at 9:17 am

      Pamela, so happy your sous vide pulled pork turned out well.

      Reply
  14. aisasami says

    July 10, 2019 at 8:58 am

    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!5 stars

    Reply
  15. Arun says

    July 10, 2019 at 11:58 am

    Wow, this looks so delicious. I need to try it. I have never earlier made it. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
  16. David says

    October 13, 2020 at 11:19 pm

    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.5 stars

    Reply

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jenna passaro food blogger

I want to help you cook up your wildest dreams — in and out of the kitchen!

   

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Years ago, I ditched a predictable career path with very few vacation days to pursue a life of fun, food and travel.

Along the way, I moved to Portland, launched this blog, wrote a cookbook, and started a family.

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Now my days are filled with recipe testing, creativity, family time, and chatting with foodie friends on my podcast.

Here at Sip Bite Go, you’ll learn my favorite restaurant style recipes. Get my secrets to making pizza at home and feel like a true home chef with my sous vide recipes.

Love to eat out and travel? I can totally relate. See my guide on where to eat in Portland, OR.

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My new book is out! Take your kitchen skills to the next level with The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

 

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