By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 12, 2026
Serves 10
391 cal · 45 min
Pork Tinga Sopes
Recipe GLPRecbf2b10387513
Crispy masa boats filled with tender, smoky shredded pork braised in a rich chipotle tomato sauce, topped with fresh shredded cabbage and radishes. A traditional Mexican street food that's gluten-free and dairy-free.
Save recipes you love
Create a free Grocery List Plus account to save recipes, rate them, and add every ingredient to your grocery list in one tap.
Ingredients
3 pounds boneless pork loin roast
3 cups water
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 onion, quartered
4 garlic cloves
2 tomatoes, quartered
3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
4 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles
2 cups masa harina
1 tablespoon shortening
1¼ cups warm water for dough
shredded cabbage
radishes, thinly sliced
Directions
Place the pork loin, 3 cups water, bay leaves, salt, quartered onion, and garlic cloves into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours until the pork is very tender and easily shreds. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon to a plate and let it cool slightly. Discard the bay leaves, and shred the pork into bite-sized pieces with two forks, removing any excess fat. Set aside and reserve the cooking broth (strain if needed to remove excess fat).
In a blender, combine the cooked onion and garlic from the broth, the quartered tomatoes, 3 chipotle chiles in adobo, and 4 teaspoons of the adobo sauce. Add 1 cup of the reserved pork broth and blend until smooth.
Pour the blended sauce into a large saucepan and add the shredded pork. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add additional salt if needed. The sauce should be thick and richly flavored. Set aside and keep warm.
In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups masa harina and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the 1 tablespoon shortening and rub it into the masa with your fingertips until evenly distributed throughout. Gradually add 1¼ cups warm water, mixing and kneading until the dough becomes smooth, soft, and slightly sticky like play dough. If the dough seems dry, add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and cover with a damp cloth.
Line a tortilla press with plastic wrap. Place one portion of dough on the press, cover with another piece of plastic wrap, and press down firmly to form a thin patty about ¼ inch thick. Remove the plastic wrap carefully. (If you don't have a tortilla press, use a heavy skillet or your hands to flatten each portion to ¼ inch thickness.)
Preheat an ungreased comal or griddle over medium-high heat. Place each flattened patty on the hot comal and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until the surface becomes dry but still flexible. While still warm and pliable, gently lift the edges of the patty upward and outward to form a slight ridge around the perimeter, creating a boat or sope shape. Return each formed sope to the comal and cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
To serve, fill each warm sope with the pork tinga mixture, then top with shredded cabbage and sliced radishes.
Comments
Pork tinga sopes land solidly in Charlotte's mainstream grocery chains—pork loin, tomatoes, chipotles in adobo, and masa harina are all standard at Harris Teeter, Kroger, and Walmart, with no second trips required. The real cost driver is the pork loin itself (typically $6–8 per pound), but at ten servings the per-serving protein cost stays under $3, and the base braise and topping are genuinely cheap. The 45-minute claim is honest for cooking time alone, but ignore prep: shredding the pork, mixing the masa dough, and assembling sopes before frying adds a solid 20 minutes, making this a 65-minute weeknight project. These reheat poorly—the sope base turns soggy and the tinga loses its character—so plan for one sitting, which limits leftovers appeal for a family juggling schedules.
Sign in or create a free account to add your review.
