Make Life Lovely: Delicious Crock Pot Carnitas Recipe

I've been experimenting lately in the kitchen, trying out different techniques and ingredients to make the perfect carnitas (seasoned and fried shreds of pork found in Mexican cuisine).

My husband is a huge carnitas fan, and loves a version of this dish found in one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. I love trying to recreate some of our favorite restaurant meals, and I think I hit a home run with this meal!

And did I mention that most of the cooking is done in the crock pot?! I say "most" because there is a little bit of cooking on the stove and in the oven, but it's really easy, and it makes it so that the carnitas are a bit crispy, instead of wet.

With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner (May 5th), this would be an easy and delicious meal to serve to your family, with very little prep work. Serve it with this yummy homemade salsa, and you've got a great meal!

Ingredients:

4 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into big pieces (you could also just use two lbs., but I have a big family and like to have some for leftovers as well)
1 tsp. salt (I used kosher)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. chili powder
Olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of one orange
Can of chicken broth (2 cups)

Directions:

1. Mix together the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Sprinkle (or rub, if you don't mind getting your hands dirty) the dry ingredients onto the pork chunks.

Heat a couple Tbsp. of olive oil in a pan on high heat (I used a tall pot because I don't like oil splatter messes), and add the pork to the hot oil. Sear each side of the meat, and place the pork inside the crock pot. Depending on how much meat you use, you might need to sear the meat in several batches so that the meat is in a single layer in the pan.

2. Once all the seared pork is inside the crock pot, add the 4 cloves of minced garlic, the fresh orange juice, and the can of chicken broth. Put on the lid, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. If you need the pork sooner you can also cook it on high in the crock pot for about 6 hours. It will still taste delicious, but the meat is more tender and falls apart easier if it cooks on low all day. Trust me on this.

3. Once the pork is done in the crock pot, carefully remove it, and shred the large chunks into smaller bite-sized pieces. Heat your oven to 400 degrees, and place the pork in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with tin foil for easy clean up. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is slightly crispy.

In the past, I have strained the seasoned liquid from the crock pot, and placed it on the pork before placing it in the oven. I have also strained the liquid, and then boiled it on high heat on the stove while the pork was in the oven, which makes a thicker liquid that can be poured on the finished meat.

Either method tastes delicious and adds more moisture and flavor to the pork, but I think my favorite method was the boiling method. Try them both and see which you prefer!

We ate our carnitas in small corn tortillas with some guacamole and salsa, but you can use the carnitas to make tacos, burritos, and wraps. You could even eat it by itself if you're watching your carbs.