My brother and his family invited us over for a Cinqo de Mayo dinner in May. One of the dishes on the menu was pork carnitas. It was a hit! This Mexican version of pulled pork was something to add to our family recipe book.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. I visited Pinterest to find a recipe to try. After looking at way too many, each with slight vary, I took the best of the best and made my own recipe. My family loved it! I even earned an "Outstanding" from my hubby which is high praised indeed.
Here is how I made it:
This slow cooker recipe is for one pork-shoulder butt. I ended up doubling it because my family complained that there were enough leftovers. The photos below show the doubled recipe. Fresh jalapenos, onions, and garlic make it extra special.
Pork Carnitas
Ingredients you will need:
3 pounds pork shoulder roast/butt
In your slow cooker put:
1 onion diced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 minced jalapeno
juice of one lime and one large navel orange
1 cup chicken broth
2 bay leaves
Make a run with these ingredients:
2.5 tsp table salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder (I used Chipotle spice)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
Rub all over your pork and then put pork into slow cooker.
Place meat in the slow cooker being careful not to rub off the spice mix.
Cook 8-10 hours on low.
Remove meat, shred. I shred mine onto a cookie sheet
Scoop out the onion, garlic and jalapeno from the slow cooker juice.
Place in small amounts of the meat into a frying pan to make a thin layer on high.
Ladle one scoop of cooking juice from the slow cooker into pan. Fry meat until crispy and juices have reduced down.
Serve in a tortilla shell with queso dip, pork, shredded cheese, salsa Verde.
Queso
Add the pork
Salsa Verde
Burrito it up and return to a hot frying pan to crisp up on all sides.
If you wanted to premake, place them on a cookie sheet and pop them into a 400° F oven for 12-20 minutes until they are golden brown and heated all the way through.
Plate your pork carnitas burrito and add refried beans, homemade guacamole (see recipe below), pico de Gallo salsa, and sour cream. Serve with a tasty Mexican mule drink (see recipe below).
Homemade Guacamole
I used this recipe to make my own guacamole.
Mexican Mule
Place ice in a glass. Add in juice of one lime, one shot of tequila, and one bottle of ginger beer. Sometimes I muddle jalapeno pepper to give it a slightly spicy flavour. It's tart and crisp and so tasty. Delish!
It's easy to find joy in this tasty meal. Ole!
-The Joyful Gardener
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