Pork carnitas are perfect for any time of year, but in the heat of summer these sound too good to resist. Imagine sitting on your deck with a margarita in one hand, and a juicy pork carnitas in the other smothered in pico, cilantro, avocado, and red onions - yum! This dish is rich yet fresh, and it's so easy it'll surely become a year-round favorite.
What's great about these pork carnitas is that you don't have to heat up your entire home with the oven, and you don't need to stand over a hot grill. Pop these ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do its magic.
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Ingredients
5 lb / 2.5 kg pork shoulder (also called pork butt), skinless, bone-in
(and if it's boneless, it should be 4lb/2kg without bone)
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, chopped (you can throw a few of the seeds back in if you like a kick)
1¼ tbsp table salt OR 2 tbsp kosher salt or sea salt flakes
1 tsp black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 oranges, juice only (or sub with ¾ cup fresh orange juice)
(and if it's boneless, it should be 4lb/2kg without bone)
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, chopped (you can throw a few of the seeds back in if you like a kick)
1¼ tbsp table salt OR 2 tbsp kosher salt or sea salt flakes
1 tsp black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 oranges, juice only (or sub with ¾ cup fresh orange juice)
Rub
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
Recipe Tin Eats
1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, then rub in the salt and pepper.
2. Combine the rub ingredients then rub all over the pork - don't forget any sides.
3. Place the pork in a slow cooker (making sure the fat cap is up), and top it with your chopped onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the orange.
4. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
5. Remove from the slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred the pork using two forks. Finally, skim the fat from the amazing juices this pork has created, and throw it away. Now you have some amazing sauce to drizzle back over your carnitas
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These carnitas are so good they might not make it to the tortilla. But we suggest showing some restraint and getting them on a golden tortilla topped with sliced avocado, some pico de gallo, extra fresh red onion, cilantro, and even some shredded red cabbage. These bright, fresh ingredients are going to cut and compliment that amazingly rich pork so well.