For a long time I’ve declared that sammiches and chips are probably my favorite food to eat. But I’m starting to wonder if, in fact, I am even more fond of all things wrapped in tortillas. I mean, I love all kinds of food, obviously, but when I’m craving things for breakfast or when I’m really hungry or whatnot, more often than not it’s a taco or something of the sort that I really want. And with all the tacos, taquitos, burritos, etc. that I’ve made over the past couple of years, I’m starting to run out of options when I search for new ones. So, I decided I’d come up with one of my own instead!
I decided that I would combine some of my favorite flavors with a big ol’ pork butt, throw it in the slow cooker (aka crock pot) and call it a day. I didn’t know how it would turn out, but I figured with those flavor components, there was really no way it wouldn’t be delicious. Right?? And then to roll that tasty meat up in a tortilla with some cheese and dip it in a spicy chipotle ranch sauce…yeah. It had to be done. HAD to be!
I did a Google search just to be sure such a thing did not exist and in the search results all I found were balsamic honey pork recipes, some that included lime, but none that also had chipotle. How could this be??? Even more reason I needed to make this. People need this flavor combination in their lives!!
In some ways it’s a fortunate thing that I have to cook two dinners on Monday and Wednesday nights, because it allows me to make slow cooker recipes when I get home from work and not have to wait and eat at 10 pm. I just make them for the following day’s lunch and dinner for J! I don’t particularly love working two nights out of the week, but there are some pluses to it for the short while I’ll be doing it. Gotta look on the bright side, right?? That’s how I roll.
And these taquitos are how (what) you should be rollin’ tonight!!
Slow Cooker Chipotle Honey Balsamic Pulled Pork Taquitos with Chipotle Ranch Sauce
A Sweet Beginnings Original
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb pork shoulder or butt
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbsp crushed chipotles in adobo sauce (or you can use whole and dice them if you prefer)
- 3 Tbsp orange juice
- 16 tortillas (I used whole wheat and corn blend)
- Shredded Mexi-blend or Monterrey jack cheese
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1-2 tsp crushed chipotles
Preparation
- Trim pork of excess fat and place in your slow cooker. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme on top.
- In a small bowl, combine the honey, balsamic vinegar, chipotles in adobo, and orange juice. Mix well and pour over the top of the pork in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours. When done it will shred easily with a fork. You can use two forks to shred or remove from slow cooker into the bowl of a stand mixer and shred with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Usually the later is my preferred method, but it was so fall-apart-ready that it was super easy with forks and took just a couple of minutes!
- Once shredded allow to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes to soak up the flavor from the juices in the slow cooker.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.
- To assemble taquitos, lay a tortilla on a flat surface, place a few tablespoons of the mixture on the side of the tortilla closest to you, sprinkle some cheese on top, and roll the tortilla up. Place taquito, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this process until all of the meat and/or tortillas are used up. Any excess meat is great for nachos, or can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.
- Bake taquitos for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.
- While they are baking, combine the ranch dressing and chipotles in a small bowl. Add more chipotle if you like your sauce a little spicier.
- Serve taquitos with sauce and enjoy!
Oh, THOSE look fabulous!! Yum