Now this is my personal spin on pork carnitas. I got the original recipe from a Mexican lady: she really appreciated how much I enjoyed her carnitas. I vary the recipe on occasion but a few elements remain the same: pork of course, the seasoning, and... well, the pork and the seasoning.
As I've said before, amounts are approximate: indulge your inner Zen archer.
Ingredients:
pork roast
orange juice
lemon and/or lime juice
tequila (reprosado, natch; or Irish whisky in a pinch - or you can stick to orange juice. You have to have some liquid, and I like something that has a bit of bite.)
garlic
carrot
potato
olive oil
plus a heaping teaspoon of each of the following, per pound of pork:
salt
black pepper
oregano
cumin
Start heating the slow cooker; coat the bottom with olive oil and put in the garlic, about three good-sized pieces of garlic per pound of pork. (You can reduce the amount of garlic without any problem - I simply love garlic.)
Take the pork and cut it into sections, maybe half a pound per section; this is a good time to remove excessive fat, if you're so inclined. Don't be afraid of the dark meat, it's your friend! Coat each section with the dry seasonings, and place it in the slow cooker.
Pour orange juice and alcohol over the pork, half-covering it. Add lemon and/or lime juice, about a teaspoon per pound of pork.
Toss in some carrot - I use three or four "baby" carrots per pound of pork. Also put in a small potato or two, cut into sections. Make sure the vegetables are submerged in the liquid.
(You'll notice I omit onions - the kiddo doesn't care for them, so I do without. If you add onion, recommend you dice it fine.)
Cover and cook on high for three-and-a-half or four hours; when the pork appears to be cooked, remove it and shred it with forks. Place it back in the liquid and let it cook another half-hour.
If you plan to use the pork in a taco or burrito, I recommend you fry it a minute or two on a hot griddle before serving. My son likes to fry it and use it in nachos, but I will eat this out of the crock if I'm allowed.
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