Looking for something for dinner, but want a little extra to freeze later? We have the perfect Pork Carnitas recipe for you posted by Recipetineats. This recipe could be used for a whole mexican fiesta or just for a quick meal. Use tortillas to make soft tacos or use hard shells to add a little crunchiness. The best part? This recipe is perfect for freezing, so have a meal for tonight and eat it again next week without having to recook it!
INGREDIENTS FOR PORK CARNITAS
- 4 pounds of boneless, skinless pork shoulder (or butt)
- 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3-4 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of pepper
- 8 cloves of garlic, smashed
- ¾ cup of coke (original)
- 1 large white or brown onion, cut up into wedges
- 2 large oranges, juiced, or ¾ cup of natural orange juice
- Tortillas or taco shells
UTENSILS
- 6-quart slow cooker
- Baking sheet
DIRECTIONS TO PREPARE PORK CARNITAS
The first step is to rinse the pork and pat it dry. Place the pork into the slow cooker. Add: bay leaves, orange juice, coke, garlic, lime juice, cumin, onion, oregano, salt, and pepper. Making sure that the pork is evenly covered in all of the dry spices. Set the slow cooker to the low heat setting and cook the pork for about 8 to 10 hours. If you want it to be done quicker set the slow cooker to high heat for 5 to 6 hours. Make sure the meat is falling apart, that’s how you know it’s done.
TO CRISP ON THE OVEN
Once the pork is falling apart, remove it and shred it with two forks. Make sure to leave the liquid in the slow cooker because you will need it later on! Once the pork is pulled apart, place it on the baking sheet. Remember to spray the baking sheet with non stick spray or line the sheet with aluminium foil. Pour about 1 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker over the pork on the baking sheet.
Broil the pork for about 5 to 10 minutes on the highest heat. The meat should be golden brown and crispy on the edges.
TO CRISP ON THE STOVE TOP
In a non stick pan, add about 1 tablespoon of oil. Heat the pan on high heat and once it is hot enough, start adding the pork in batches and begin to sear it. Just before the pork starts to crisp, pour about ½ of a cup of the liquid from the slow cooker on top of the pork in the skillet. Cook until the liquid begins to reduce and the meat starts to crisp.
Remove the pork from the skillet and serve!
If you want to prepare extra to freeze for the future, make sure you stop once you pull apart the pork. Store the pork in a separate container/bag and store the juice from the slow cooker in a separate bag/container. The pork and juice can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days and it can stay in the freezer or up to 3 months.
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