Pork Carnitas

Pork Carnitas

by | Dinner, Slow Cooker

The Best Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas this side of the Mexican State of Michoacán

For us, a mark of a good Mexican restaurant in the US is how they prepare pork carnitas. Recently we have had trouble finding good carnitas so I decided to make them myself. My first attempts were not successful in the crock pot. While tasty, they lacked the texture. You know that crispiness goodness on the edges and they tasted bland to me. The key to success with this recipe outside of the beer and chiptle spice is browning the meat before it goes into the slow cooker then once it is done, spreading it all out on a baking sheet crisping under the broiler.

Add warm tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and salsa, perfection!

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 (4-5 pound) lean boneless pork roast, excess fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch chunks
  • 1 bottle beer
  • 1 medium white onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

 

  • Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat.
  • Add the pork and sear on each side until browned then transfer to a slow cooker.
  • Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, and combine well.
  • Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the pork is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.
  • Preheat broiler to high heat.
  • Use a fork to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
  • Transfer pork with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet.
  • Spread the pork in an even layer and leaving the juices behind in the slow cooker.  (Don’t discard the juices)
  • Place the sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork begin browning and crisping up.
  • Remove the sheet from the oven, then ladle about 1/4 cup of the juices from the slow cooker evenly over the pork.
  • Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy.
  • Then remove and ladle an additional 1/4 cup of broth over the crispy pork.
Stressfree Slow Cooker Sweet Spicy Pork

Stressfree Slow Cooker Sweet Spicy Pork

by | Asian, Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Sweet Spicy Pork Goodness

 

Making dinner easy is priority during busy times. And that’s where slow cooker sweet spicy pork eases your stress. Weekends tend to get busy around the holidays here no matter how much we try to keep things simple. Same for you?

The slow cooker is one way I ease that stress. During the holidays, it is really easy to fall into eating junky foods that, while are tasty, they aren’t healthy. The junky foods are deceiving and feel satisfying, but soon they start slow you down. Slow cookers help you stay on course instead of picking up stuff on the way home when you are starving. Get the slow cooker items ready the night before in dump in the morning or do it all in the morning in less than 10 minutes.

I like to use organic meats when I eat meat and that includes pork. Normally, I use pork shoulder, but they looked a bit fatty for my taste. I went with the tenderloin instead and it worked nicely. The meat was tender and tasty.

At this point, Asian spices for the most part have gone mainstream. I can get Chinese Five Spice Powder and Garlic-Chili Sauce at my local grocery store. That said, I usually pick them up at the Asian grocery store when I make a trek there. Bok choy is becoming more readily available, too.

This recipe is good enough for company. One more reason to slow cooker sweet spicy pork. It is tasty, simple, and fancy.

 

Slow Cooker Sweet Spicy Pork Recipes

Ingredients

 

Slow Cooker Sweet Spicy Pork Ingrediants

 

  • 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 1/2pounds pork shoulder or tenderloin, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 medium head bok choy thinly sliced

 

Preparation

 

Slow Cooker Sweet Spicy Pork Spices

 

  • Cut pork into small pieces and chop boy choy.
  • In slow cooker, mix the soy sauce, sugar, chili-garlic sauce, ginger, five-spice powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the pork tossing to coat.
  • Cook until the pork is tender, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
  • About 30-minutes before serving, cook the rice and add bok choy.
  • Serve with the rice.

 

Slow Cooker Sweet Spicy Pork Chopped

Slow Cooker Sweet Spicy Pork Ready to Cook

Slow Cooker Sweet Spicy Pork Boy Choy Chopped

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