With school starting back around the Rock Hill area, whether in person or virtually, easy weeknight dinners have once again become a priority. These Dr Pepper Carnitas Street Tacos definitely fit the bill. They are as easy as can be and make enough for a large, hungry family. You’ll have plenty for leftovers, making another meal that much simpler. The added step of broiling the carnitas to crisp up the edges makes a huge difference in the street taco texture and taste. If you’re pressed for time, you could skip the broiling, but you’d be missing out. 

As always, you’ll want plenty of Coca-Cola products on hand, as these Dr Pepper Carnitas Street Tacos can be a bit spicy. If you want a milder flavor, cut back on the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.

Ingredients

Carnitas

• 3-5 lb bone-in Boston butt (pork shoulder roast)
• 3 cups (2 cans) Dr Pepper
• 7 oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Street Tacos

• yellow corn tortillas
• avocado, diced
• white onion, diced
• cilantro, chopped fine
• red cabbage, sliced thin

Equipment

• slow cooker
• rimmed baking pan
• forks
• cutting board
• chef’s knife
• tongs (for serving)

Directions

Chop the chipotle peppers; reserve the adobo sauce. The pieces should be small, but not too fine.

Place the Boston butt into the slow cooker. Add the chopped chipotle peppers, onion, and garlic. 

Combine the brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over the Boston butt.

Pour both the reserved adobo sauce and the Dr Pepper over the Boston butt.

Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours.

Remove the Boston butt from the slow cooker. Reserve the juice in the slow cooker. Using two forks, shred the meat. Discard any fatty bits. You now have carnitas.

Set the oven to broil. Place the carnitas meat in a rimmed baking pan in an even layer. You might need to perform this step multiple times to crisp all the meat. Pour roughly 1 cup of the reserved juice over the shredded meat. Broil for 5-10 minutes, or until the edges are crispy.

Heat the yellow corn tortillas before adding the carnitas, avocado, onion, cilantro, and cabbage.