Pork was on sale this week and I grabbed some right away to make carnitas! Pork carnitas is a roast pork dish where the pork is typically roasted before cooking the tender pieces of pork in the rendered pork fat until all crispy and good! The pork ends up being nice and moist, juicy and tender on the inside while crispy on the outside! Yum! I like to make carnitas super easy by throwing the pork into a slow cooker until the it is falling apart tender before shredding it, tossing it with the juices along more of the salsa/marinade before broiling it in the oven until the edges are crispy. This version is so easy to make, requiring very little effort, and the results are amazing! Normally I use a citrus juice, cumin and oregano marinade but this one uses a homemade smoky chipotle salsa. I can’t wait to share how I used this super easy and tasty chipotle slow cooker pork carnitas!
Chipotle Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Pulled pork carnitas made easy in a slow cooker and then broiled until all nice and crispy, moist tender and oh so good!
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 4+ chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (fire roasted are good)
- 2 tablespoon cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 pound pork butt or shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
For the chipotle salsa:
For the carnitas:
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
- Puree the onions and garlic along with the chilies and tomatoes in a blender or food processor and return to pan.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, simmer for a few minutes to thicken, add the vinegar, season with salt and pepper and enjoy or let cool and store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Place the pork along with 1 cup of the salsa in a slow cooker and cook until the pork is falling apart tender, about 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
- Remove the pork from the liquid and set aside to cool before shredding and removing any fat.
- Meanwhile, skim any fat from the cooking liquid and simmer to reduce to 1 cup.
- Mix the liquid into the pork, spread it out in a single layer on baking sheet, broil until crispy on top, about 4-6 minutes, flip and broil until crispy, about 4-6 minutes.
- Mix in 1 cup of the salsa and enjoy in your favourite Mexican style dishes like tacos, quesadillas, etc.
For the chipotle salsa:
For the carnitas:
Option: Brown the pork on all sides in oil in a pan before pl
Where do you add the cider vinegar?
Unknown: Add the vinegar near the end of making the salsa, along with the salt and pepper just before removing from the heat. Enjoy!