Crockpot Carnitas
I must admit I was very skeptical about the crockpot when it first came out. You can see that I still don’t use a lot of tech savvy devices to cook because I just wholeheartedly believe that an oven and stove top is all you really need.
I love cooking with pork. It’s tender, it’s juicy, and it’s usually very affordable.
Carnitas is a delicious type of meat that can be used in tacos, pastas, and as an entree on its own when paired with vegetables.
But alas’, to get that tender and juicy pork you must slave over the stove, precariously checking on it throughout the day.
Good food takes time.
Here, you will find directions on how to do a “dump it and leave it” carnitas. That means, you can go to work in the morning, and have delicious meat waiting for you by the time you get home, I promise!
The seasonings I chose for this are to ensure that you won’t need any seasoning after it is done.
I chose pineapple juice as opposed to juice from an orange because I like how it tastes, and feel as though it tenderizes the meat more, but I could just be imagining things.
Bay leaves and cumin are essential to most Mexican cooking so make sure you have these in your cabinet if you plan on making more of these types of dishes.
Take your pork shoulder and rub it with salt and pepper, a lot of people will tell you to cut off excess fat, but I personally do not, just because I love the stuff and truly believe it makes it more tender while cooking, and adds its porky flavor to the carnitas.
Turn on your crockpot to a high heat (usually the four hour mark)
Dice your yellow onion, and cut your garlic however you’d like (it won’t matter what shape it is 8 hours from now)
Add to your crockpot and then all of your dry seasonings. Stir with a spatula so it even coats the bottom.
Take your pineapple juice and add it to your dry mixture and stir, then add your pork shoulder. This is the fun part, leave it for 8 hours and come back to a dinner basically made for you!
After that, the carnitas will be so tender that it’ll be difficult collecting it with tongs, so I recommend a ladle with holes in it. Take a ladle and scoop it out into a baking tray and create an even layer.
If you’d like, broil the meat for about 5-10 minutes, constantly checking on it to make sure it does not burn.
Now you have crispy carnitas!
I have made it for taco night while hiking in a cabin, I have made it as an add on to pasta, and I have used the meat for fried rice!
refrigerated:
3-4 lbs boneless pork shoulder
1 yellow onion
6 garlic cloves
Baking and spices:
1 Tbsp oregano
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
3 tbsp of beef bouillion
1 tbsp of onion powder
1 tbsp of garlic powder
2 bay leaves
liquids:
1 pineapple juice can (6 fl oz)
1 tbsp of oil of choice
Directions:
Rub pork shoulder with salt and pepper
Dice yellow onion and chop 6 garlic cloves and add to turned on crockpot
Add one 1 tbsp of oil and 2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1 tbsp of oregano, 2 tbsp of cumin, 1 tbsp of onion powder, 1 tbsp of garlic powder, 2 bay leaves, 3 tbsp of beef bouillon, 1 warm 6 oz can of pineapple juice and stir
Add boneless pork shoulder and cover and heat for 8-10 hours on low
Use a ladle to scoop out onto a baking tray and spread evenly
Top with freshly ground black pepper
Broil for 5-10 minutes, turning if needed in that time
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