Salsa Verde Recipe for Pulled Pork

Homemade Salsa Verde for pulled pork barbecue on a site about SC BBQ?

Well, who said all the recipes had to be traditional?

This recipe comes all the way from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where John Padgett helped open The Naked Pig BBQ, a southern BBQ restaurant. He told us the story of how it originated:

“The salsa verde recipe is a little more interesting because of the avocado twist.

My wife is Mexican, so she talked me into having a salsa verde in the restaurant in case the locals asked for something more like their traditional carnitas style pork. I remember always having carnitas with the green salsa but had never made it, so I found a simple recipe.

By the way, there aren’t many variations of salsa verde in Mexico, so they’re all simple.

I headed out to the farmers market for the ingredients. While I was shopping for the tomatillos, there was a little old lady picking through them, so I began asking her questions in my broken “Spanglish” about the salsa.

She explained how to make it, and her recipe was the same as the one I had…with the exception that she added avocados, which really piqued my interest.

One morning while I was preparing the salsa, one of the Mexican boat captains that hung around the restaurant was watching me. When I started to add the avocados, a huge smile came over his face and he shook his head in approval.

He did this because not many taco stands or restaurants will add avocados due to the cost, but it is actually how the salsa is traditionally made.

I made this salsa verde with avocado chunks for pulled pork sandwiches and it is awesome, kinda like carnitas, only on a bun.”

Yum. Thanks, John!

Serving this on BBQ sandwiches? Try the Pawleys Island Pulled Pork recipe and use our pulled pork calculator before you visit the store. If you need to plan buns and portions, see our sandwiches per pound guide.

Here’s John’s recipe for Salsa Verde with Avocado for Pulled Pork:

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Salsa Verde with Avocado for Pulled Pork

Yield: 20 servings (≈5 cups)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Blending and Mixing: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Homemade Salsa Verde is easy and serving it with pulled pork is unique, especially with the addition of avocado.

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Ingredients

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• 1 pound tomatillos, husked
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 serrano chile pepper, minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 2 cups water
• 1 avocado, diced, or maybe 2

Instructions

1. Add the husked tomatillos and chopped cilantro into a blender or food processor and blend the ingredients with a few quick pulses. You are going for just a quick blend, not a puree.
2. Pour the blended tomatillos into a bowl, and stir in the remaining ingredients.

Notes

Planning a cook to go with this sauce? Visit our BBQ Tools & Calculators to plan timing, portion sizes, and prep with confidence.

Yield: Expect roughly 5 cups of salsa, about 20 servings of ¼ cup each. The exact volume depends on the size of the tomatillos and avocado, and whether you use one avocado or two. The salsa is served raw; blending the tomatillos only briefly, then folding in the other ingredients, keeps the texture chunky.

Estimated nutrition: Per approximately ¼ cup of salsa, assuming one medium avocado, 1 pound of tomatillos, 2 cups water, and the remaining listed ingredients divided into 20 servings. A second avocado adds richness and increases calories and fat. The estimated sodium assumes about 1½ teaspoons of ordinary fine salt in the whole batch; the type and amount of salt you add can change it substantially. Pulled pork, buns, and other accompaniments are not included.

Preparation and storage: Rinse the tomatillos after removing their husks and wash the other fresh produce before chopping. Refrigerate the finished salsa promptly in a covered container. For the best avocado color and freshness, use it within a day or two; discard after 3–4 refrigerated days. This fresh, uncooked salsa is not a tested canning recipe.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

20

Serving Size:

about ¼ cup salsa
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 26Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 175mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

Manual USDA-style ingredient estimate per approximately 1/4 cup finished salsa, using an estimated 5-cup batch (20 servings). Includes 1 lb fresh tomatillos, 1/2 cup onion, 1 serrano pepper, 1 medium avocado (not 2), 2 cups water, garlic, herbs, cumin and roughly 1.5 tsp fine salt. Sodium depends strongly on salt crystal size and how much is used; volume depends on vegetable size, avocado size and blending. A second avocado increases calories and fat. Does not include the pulled pork or bun. Approximate, not laboratory-tested.

Want More Authentic SC BBQ Recipes?

From generations-old family recipes to favorites shared by today's pitmasters, Going Whole Hog brings the flavors of South Carolina barbecue into your kitchen.

Check out these other SC BBQ sauce recipes we’ve published on destination-bbq,  and we’ve published even more sauce (and rub) recipes in the SCBBQ Recipes: Going Whole Hog Cookbook. Read more about that here.

Sauces and Rubs:

Vinegar-Pepper Sauces

• Jay Phillips’ Whole Hog Sauce Recipe
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• Eastern SC Vinegar-Pepper Sauce Recipe
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Mustard Sauces

• Swig & Swine’s Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe
• Dukes BBQ-Style Sauce Recipe
• Dukes BBQ Sauce – “Actual Recipe”
• Simple South Carolina Mustard Sauce Recipe
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Tomato-Based Sauces

• John Padgett’s Kansas City BBQ Sauce Recipe
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Rubs

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