Spicy Korean Pork Tacos! Incredibly delicious and full of flavor! Pork lovers, you have to try these tacos!
Disclosure: This recipe and post are sponsored by The National Pork Board.
Growing up, my family and I always spent a lot of time together in the kitchen. Some families bond over sports and outdoor activities but my family and I have deep connections through food and cooking; especially Korean food. As a child, I have fond memories of watching my mother and father cooking in the kitchen and I always knew when they were cooking a delicious Korean stew, soup, or grilling some meat. The aroma drew me out of my bedroom and I could just sit there and watch my parents chopping, adding ingredients, mixing and stirring and I knew dinner was going to be incredible.
Pork is one of my favorite meats to cook with and eat because of its versatility and flavor, not to mention it’s super affordable. Whenever I cook pork, a Korean dish specifically, I am transported back to my parents’ kitchen. We love cooking with pork in Kimchi Jjigae (kimchi stew), Korean Jajangmyeon Noodles, Korean Mandu (dumplings) and more.
DELICIOUS KOREAN FLAVORS
Today, I am sharing my Spicy Korean Pork Tacos! These are so delicious and flavorful and celebrate so many great Korean flavors. I highly recommend pork shoulder or pork butt for this recipe. You need a fattier cut of pork for this recipe.
In the recipe card below, I provide two ways to prepare the pork: 1) with a pressure cooker (Instant Pot) or 2) with a slow cooker (Crock-Pot). Either way, the pork will be delicious! So, who’s ready to experience some Korean incredible flavors?? Be sure to check out the recipe below. Enjoy!
Spicy Korean Pork Tacos
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker or Slow Cooker
Ingredients
FOR THE PORK:
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons Korean gochujang (hot pepper paste)
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar I like to use brown rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sesame oil for cooking if using the instant pot
- 2 to 2 1/5 lbs. boneless Boston butt pork roast or pork shoulder cut into large chunks
FOR THE KOREAN GOCHUJANG SAUCE*:
- 2 tablespoons Korean gochujang (hot pepper paste)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil + more if needed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar
FOR THE TACOS:
- 1 small bag corn or flour tortillas toasted or warmed
- shredded lettuce: romaine, butter lettuce or iceberg
- chopped kimchi for garnish
- green onions diced, for garnish
- sesame seeds
- radishes thinly sliced for garnish
- lime wedges to serve
Instructions
FOR THE PORK USING A SLOW COOKER:
- Whisk all of the sauce ingredients, from the soy sauce to the ginger, together in a bowl. Add the pork (cut up into large chunks) into the slow cooker, add the sauce and toss to coat. Cover and slow cook the pork on low for about 6 to 8 hours. Start checking the pork at about the 4 or 5th hour if possible.
- When the pork is ready, remove it from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and place it on a cutting board, large plate or large shallow dish or bowl. Shred the pork by pulling the pieces apart with two forks. You can place back into the slow cooker to mix the pork with the sauce if desired.
FOR THE PORK USING AN INSTANT POT:
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients, from the soy sauce to the ginger, together in a separate bowl.
- Turn on Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Once heated, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Alternatively, you can use 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Working in batches, add the pork and sear on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the seared pork to a plate. Turn off the sauté function.
- Place all of the seared pork back into the Instant Pot and pour in the sauce. Mix together well and ensure all of the pork is nicely coated in the sauce. Place the lid on, lock the lid into place and make sure the valve is set to seal. Set to cook on HIGH pressure for 50 minutes. Once the cook time is finished, you can do a manual release to release all of the pressure.
- Remove the lid. Remove the pork from the insert and onto a large plate or large shallow dish or bowl. Using two forks, shred all of the cooked pork. Return to the Instant Pot and mix with the sauce if desired.
FOR THE KOREAN GOCHUJANG SAUCE (for serving):
- Whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Taste and adjust any ingredients as needed. Set aside.
TO ASSEMBLE YOUR TACOS:
- Lightly warm your corn tortillas in a pan or on the stove over medium high heat. Place tortilla on your plate, top with some of the shredded pork, then the lettuce, and the kimchi. Drizzle the gochujang sauce over the entire taco and garnish with diced green onions, radishes and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. Serve with lime wedges if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
To learn more about pork and the importance of properly cooking pork to the correct temperature, click here.
