Keto-Friendly Pulled Pork Tacos with Mexican Chorizo Cauliflower Rice (With Bonus Meal)

One of our favorite kind of tacos in my home is “Pig Tacos” or pulled pork tacos. We have typically had them with corn tortillas, flour tortillas, and crispy taco shells in the past but I wanted to make them keto-friendly and low carb. So, I decided to make them using crunchy cheese taco shells instead of carb-heavy shells like are traditionally used. I really wanted to try pulling pork using my KitchenAid Stand Mixer because I have had several people tell me how easy it is… So, I will always do it this way now! It was so quick and easy, I can’t believe I have been missing out on this awesome method.

For a side, I wanted to stick with the theme for Cinco de Mayo and go with Mexican rice but substitute cauliflower rice for the usual rice. They were wonderful and I will definitely be making them in the future, soon. One thing that you need to keep in mind when you make this is that the shells take quite a bit more time than just heating taco shells in the oven since they involve a skillet or griddle and the oven both.

Pork Loin

Ingredients:

• 1 Pork Loin Trimmed
• 2-3 T Taco Seasoning (My homemade recipe is here)
• Olive Oil (To coat)
• 2 T Mesquite Liquid Smoke (Optional)

Method:

• Trim any excess fat or connective tissue from the pork loin
• Place about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of your Dutch Oven
• Coat the outside of the loin with olive oil
• Coat with taco seasoning
• Pour liquid smoke over the top of the loin (If using)
• Place in a 275-degree oven for approximately an hour per pound
• Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes

• If necessary, cut into 2 pieces to fit into stand mixer bowl (You can also pull it by hand with forks which is how I have done it for many, many years)
• Using the paddle attachment on low, mix in the stand mixer until meat is pulled

• Add more taco seasoning to taste and mix in with the stand mixer

Mexican “Rice”

Ingredients:

• 1 Onion Chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic Mashed
• 1/2 T Oregano
• 2-3 T Taco Seasoning
• 1 T Cumin
• 1 1/2 T FOC: (Real Butter, Ghee, Olive Oil, Lard, etc.)
• 1 Head Cauliflower Riced
• 1 10 oz Can Ro-Tel
• 2-3 Chipotles in Adobo Chopped
• 1-2 T Chicken Bouillon
• 1-2 T Tomato Bouillon (You can substitute for this with a 6 oz. can of tomato paste but I prefer the bouillon)
• 9 oz. Pork Chorizo
• 4 oz. Can Diced Green Chilis
• 1/2 T Lime Juice
• Cilantro (Optional)

Method:

• Brown chorizo in a #10 Cast Iron Skillet

• Add in onion and cook until almost translucent
• Add the green chilis, garlic, chicken bouillon, cumin, and taco seasoning and cook together for 5-7 minutes

 

• Wash, cut, and dry the cauliflower into florets or pieces that will fit in your food processor (You can also use a box grater)
• With the grater blade, process the cauliflower to where it is approximately the size of grains of rice

 

 

• Toss the “rice” with Tomato Bouillon (You can skip this step if you are using tomato paste instead)

• Add the cauliflower to the chorizo and stir in

• Add in Ro-Tel and chipotles (Add in tomato paste now if using instead of bouillon)
• Cook together for 5-10 minutes
• Stir in cilantro if using

• Serve

 

Cheese Taco Shells

Ingredients:

• Shredded Cheese of your choice. I like Sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack

Method:

• Heat a Griddle Pan or #10 Cast Iron Skillet to medium-low
• Turn broiler to low
• Add cheese to pan and cook until lightly brown on the bottom

 

• You can turn the edges up back onto itself to see if the cheese is ready and to control the shape if you aren’t using the entire surface

• Once they are browned on the bottom, place the pan under the broiler and cook until browned
• For the next step, a Fish Spatula is the absolute best tool to use, it is thin and long enough to lift the shells, most other spatulas have a very hard time
• Carefully remove and place over a wooden spoon or something similar across a Dutch Oven or a deep enough pan like a Cast Iron Combo Cooker that the shell won’t touch the bottom (A wooden spoon may be too small in diameter for your taste, I did one that way and the rest with a spatula)

• Drain pan (There will be a lot of oil)
• Repeat the process while the last one is cooling

• As they cool, they will become nice and crispy

 

 

• Fill and serve

 

Disclaimer: The product links on this page are Amazon affiliate links.

If, by some amazing happenstance you find yourself motivated to buy the item, I will receive a few cents from Amazon. The facts expressed here belong to everybody, the opinions to me. The distinction is yours to draw…

 

 

-Bonus Content-

If you are like I am, you will have leftovers, I had leftover shells, meat, topping and “rice.” So, since I hate to waste any food, I decided to make breakfast tacos the next morning.

I scrambled eggs with the toppings and filled a taco shell with it, it was wonderful!

 

-My next post will be what I did with the leftover pork-