BBQ Pulled Pork Tater Tots (Dirty Tots)
These BBQ Pulled Pork Tater Tots are loaded with shredded Mexican cheese, pulled pork tossed in a homemade BBQ sauce, a chipotle aioli sauce, and garnished with green onions. (Jump to Recipe)
THIS is the king of comfort food at it’s finest.
A few times a year, I happen to check into a family owned BBQ joint in midtown by the name of Tank House. They smoke all their own BBQ and you can watch them do it from the sidewalk. I’ve stumbled upon it a few years ago while at a nearby farmer’s market on the weekend. This place has become one of our favorites when craving BBQ and in particular, “dirty tots.”
During these trying times, we’ve noticed some of our favorite local eats have shifted their hours of operation. Making it difficult for us, foodies, to get our hands on decadently delicious and comforting food that we would not typically attempt to make at home. So here we were. Since I’ve been on a comfort food cooking spree, I thought why not. This BBQ pulled pork tater tot recipe is brought to you as a result of my cravings and highly thought of, Tank House.
Add Some Variety!
Swap out the pulled pork with shredded with chicken breast. Cooking time will be the same.
Add more toppings like: pickled jalapeños or banana peppers, black or pinto beans, diced red onions, corn or salsa. The sky really is the limit!
Love sheet pan meals? Check these out!:
Sheet Pan Flank Steak With Brussels Sprouts And Sweet Potatoes
Sheet Pan Balsamic Basil Chicken
If you make these BBQ Pulled Pork Tater Tots, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I’d love to hear from you, or better yet, see what you’re cooking! Tag me on Insta, @fettysfoodblog with your creation.
BBQ Pulled Pork Tater Tots (Dirty Tots)
Ingredients
For The Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
For The Tater Tots And BBQ Sauce
- 2 – 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire
- 32 oz tater tots, frozen
- 1/2 cup Mexican cheese, shredded
- 4 green onions, sliced
For The Chipotle Aioli
- 1 cup mayonaise
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (add an extra one if you like the heat)
- 1 lime, squeezed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
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In a small bowl, combine the dry rub ingredients. Pat and rub all sides of the pork shoulder with the dry rub.
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Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet. Once hot, sear all side of the pork shoulder just until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours until cooked all the way through.
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Remove from slow cooker and set aside to rest before shredding. Using a large spoon, remove and discard the fat liquids floating on top from the liquids remaining in the slow cooker.
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Place remaining non-fatty liquids into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, brown sugar, and Worcestershire. Whisk all ingredients together. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Sauce will thicken up a bit.
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Using two forks or your hands, shred the cooked pork. Toss the shredded pork with the homemade BBQ sauce and set aside.
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
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Lay out tater tots in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil to coat the tater tots. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, flipping them once, half way through baking. Add shredded cheese 2 minutes before baking time is done.
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While the tater tots are baking, place chipotle aioli ingredients into a food processor and processes for 1 minute.
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Remove tater tots from the oven. Evenly spread out shredded BBQ pulled pork on top. Drizzle with chipotle aioli and garnish with green onions. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
You can use your favorite BBQ sauce to toss with the shredded pork instead of making your own to skip an extra step.
The chipotle aioli can be made by hand. Finely mince the chipotle pepper and whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl.
My husband loves the dirty tots at Tank House so we decided to try these. They were delicious!!! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you both loved them! They are also a staple around here in our home, especially in the summertime. 🙂
Super yummy, family loved it! I used left over pork roast that I pulled and used no sugar added BBQ sauce and had mjni tots. Gave it a wonderful sweet/spicy mix. Thanks!!
I’m so glad your family loved it, Billie. That’s a great idea to use leftover pork roast for a quick dinner meal! Thank you for sharing. 🙂