While on our trip to New Mexico, my Ants made pulled pork for dinner one night. It was incredibly tender, so I asked about the cut, and I was surprised to hear that it was pork tenderloin. Pork Tenderloin is very lean, and I typically associate fattier cuts low and slow cooking methods (like Crockpot Duck Confit and Ribs) and for shredding (our Pulled Turkey Recipes). But, new knowledge in hand, we tried our luck slow cooking pork tenderloin! We coated it in chili powder and a little salt before spritzing on some fresh squeezed lemon, then added some lemon slices and onions and let it go for a while.
As the pork cooked, the chili powder and lime created an incredible aroma throughout the house, which built my anticipation. Then, when it came time to take the lid off the pork and shred, the meat came apart so easily (yay!). From there, we built our tacos and had a delightful dinner!
Time: 6-7 Hours (most of which is hands-off slow cooker time)
Ingredients:
- Pork Tenderloin(s)
- Chili Powder
- Salt
- Onion
- 2 Limes
- Tortillas (corn or flour…your choice)
- Toppings! A few that we suggest are:
- Lettuce
- Diced Tomato
- Diced Onion
- Fried Jalapeno
- Shredded Cheese
- Salsa. Check out our Roasted Salsa Recipe if you want to make your own.
- Guacamole. Check out our Guac Recipe if you want to make your own.
- Sour Cream
Method:
- Arrange your pork tenderloin(s) in your slow cooker. Then, sprinkle on a little salt, and a lot of chili powder.
- Cut one of your limes into quarters, and squirt the juice over your pork.
- Slice your other lime into round cross-sections and do the same with an onion (although you want semicircles for the onion). Arrange your onion and lime slices atop your pork.
- Set your slow cooker to low, and walk away for 6-7 hours.
- As your pork finishes, begin to prep your taco toppings (any and all slicing and dicing you need to do).
- When your pork is ready, discard the lime slices and onion from your crockpot. Then, use two forks to shred your pork.
- Heat your tortillas.
- Assemble your tacos!
- Devour, and enjoy!
Lovely! I really like the addition of the limes to the crock pot – that slightly sour note really enhances the flavor of the meat.
Thank you! Yeah, we like the acidity and freshness that lime adds. We used lime zest to make chicken meatballs the other day, and they came out really well too.