pork carnitas
these pork carnitas are tender, juicy, citrus-ey, and spicy–everything good mexican food should be! the best part is that they’re easy; just brown the meat & throw everything in the slow cooker. top them with my simple-to-make pickled onions & lime crema, and enjoy this new taco night favorite!
we just survived hurricane irma, luckily with no major damage. news of its coming happened to be when we were already out of town on a pre-scheduled trip. we had to scramble to figure out how to get our outdoor furniture inside, the cars out of the driveway, etc. our friends were so nice to take care of everything for us, and they really went above and beyond. naturally, i owed them a delicious dinner when we returned!
we decided to throw a “taco thursday”–who said tacos could only be eaten on tuesdays?! i wanted to do something different than the typical ground beef tacos, so pork carnitas it was! they turned out so well, and were SO easy, that i have already made another batch. try them out and serve with ultimate guacamole and mexican caesar salad. i also like to serve all of the above with a can of refried beans spread out onto an oven-safe dish & topped with any sort of cheese you like (i used pepper jack). warm them up in the oven at 350 until the cheese is melted & the beans are warm. yum!
note: do NOT skip the lime crema & pickled onions. these two toppings truly make these tacos!!
note note: the second batch i did was with pork loin, because the grocery store happened to be out of shoulder that day. they turned out just as well! i did this batch on high for 3 hours, instead of on low for 8 hours (we were hungry, don’t judge..), but i think it would work either way. there were definitely fewer fatty pieces in there, so this is a good option if you’re trying to go a bit healthier. honestly, either way is delicious 🙂
Ingredients
2 lbs. pork shoulder, boneless
2 tsp. ground cumin
1.5 tsp. oregano
1.5 tsp. chili powder
1 white onion, chopped
3 smashed cloves of garlic (or 5-6 if they're little)
1 chipotle in adobo sauce + 1 tsp. of the sauce
1/2c. beer (i used a lager)
zest of 1/2 a large orange
corn tortillas
16 oz. sour cream
2 large limes, juice & zest
1/2 tsp. garlic, pressed using a garlic press
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/2c. apple cider vinegar
1 tbs. sugar
1.5 tsp. salt
crumbled cotija cheese
cilantro leaves
jalapeño slices (i like to use organic nacho slices
Instructions
mix together the cumin, oregano, and chili powder, and rub on all sides of the pork.
heat up 4-5 tbs. of oil in a large skillet (i like to use avocado oil, as it can withstand high temperatures) on medium-high & brown the pork on all sides (~3-4 minutes/side).
add the browned pork, onion, garlic, chipotle & adobo sauce, beer, and zest to the slow cooker.
cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3-4.
once cooked, shred the meat & mix with the cooking juices.
warm the corn tortillas (i like to put 4-5 in a foil packet & warm in the oven at 350 for a handful of minutes until hot).
serve with all of the toppings!
mix the sour cream, lime zest, and lime juice in a large bowl.
add in the garlic & salt.
cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
whisk the apple cider vinegar together with the sugar & salt.
add the thinly sliced red onion & cover.
allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
http://www.dishandchipsblog.com/pork-carnitas/
Kathi Foley
October 7, 2017
Yum!!! I am making next weekend!!