Smoky pork tinga tacos are a fun twist on classic chicken tinga tacos where pork and potatoes slow cook in a spicy onion and garlic sauce until they’re utterly tender and delicious. Then you’ll add some fried chorizo to REALLY kick these tacos into high gear!

When I came across this recipe a few weeks back, I simply couldn’t pass it up. Elly’s gorgeous photo really helped to prompt me to make something I wouldn’t have normally made on my own.

So I immediately put the recipe on my dinner menu for the following week!

It definitely helped that I had a pork roast sitting in my freezer waiting to be used and that I had almost all of the other ingredients needed already as well.

And what’s best about making these smoky pork tinga tacos with avocado and fresh cheese?

You’ll toss most of the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a fabulous meal in the evening. And if you work during the day, this is the kind of meal you can truly appreciate!!

Now, I’m still a newbie when it comes to traditional and authentic Mexican food so I was surprised to see potatoes included in these tacos but that’s not to say I didn’t like them. In fact, I loved everything about these smoky pork tinga tacos!

The potatoes and tender pork really made for a hearty meal, and the avocado added a nice cooling effect to the smoky and spicy chipotles. All of the ingredients (well…not the avocado) cooked down so beautifully with each other in the slow cooker that you would almost think they had baked together in the oven.

Be prepared that the recipe as it’s written was definitely spicy so adjust the amount of chipotles to your tastes. I’m kind of a wuss when it comes to spicy peppers so next time, I’ll reduce the amount I add to the slow cooker.

More Outrageous Tacos for Your Next Taco Tuesday

Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos with Avocado and Queso Fresco

Name: Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos with Avocado and Queso Fresco
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 h
Total time: 10 h 20 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients: 1 lb red or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes; 2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted); 3 to 4 chipotle chiles in adobo, sliced (see Note below); 1 tbsp adobo sauce from the can of chipotle chiles; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 2 tsp dried oregano; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 large onion, sliced into half-moons; Kosher salt; 4 oz fresh Mexican chorizo sausage (optional); 24 warm corn tortillas; 1 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco (other fresh cheese, such as Cotija, feta, or goat cheese); 2 large avocados, diced or sliced; Small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours

Total Time: 10 hours 20 minutes

Pork tinga tacos are authentic Mexican tacos made with slow cooked pork, potatoes, onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers with some of their adobo sauce. Stuffed inside a fresh corn tortilla with some avocado and queso fresco cheese, these tacos will certainly spice up your next Taco Tuesday!

Ingredients

For the pork tinga filling:

1 lb red or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted)
3 to 4 chipotle chiles in adobo, sliced (see Note below)
1 tbsp adobo sauce from the can of chipotle chiles
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried oregano
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, sliced into half-moons
Kosher salt

For serving:

4 oz fresh Mexican chorizo sausage (optional)
24 warm corn tortillas
1 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco (other fresh cheese, such as Cotija, feta, or goat cheese)
2 large avocados, diced or sliced
Small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Spread the potatoes over the bottom of a crock pot and top with the pork.
In a large bowl, mix the undrained tomatoes with the chipotles, adobo sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic, onion, and about 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Pour the mixture evenly over the meat and potatoes.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 to 10 hours.
When the pork is cooked and shredable, fry the chorizo, if using, in a small skillet over medium high heat until cooked through. Stir the chorizo into the pork tinga mixture in the crock pot, breaking the pork into smaller pieces. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary.
Serve the filling with warm tortillas, cheese, avocados, and cilantro.

Notes

You can adjust the spiciness of the pork tinga taco filling by reducing or increasing the amount of chipotle peppers you add to the crock pot. Feel free to omit the peppers if you wish, but don't omit the adobo sauce; you'll need it to help round out the flavor of the sauce.

Rick Bayless, Mexican Everyday, via Elly Says Opa!

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