It’s a day late for Cinco de Mayo, but Mexican is yummy any time, so it’s all good. This is actually my go-to recipe whenever I have a nice big pork roast: it’s easy (naturally), delicious, flexible and makes plenty for leftovers.
I won’t even pretend that it’s authentic “carnitas” as I have never, to my knowledge, had authentic carnitas (unless you count what they sell at Chipotle’s) so I have no idea how it compares. And I highly doubt authentic carnitas are made in a slow cooker (but how I love my slow cooker!).
No one except the most discerning purist will care, though, because this is just a delicious way to cook a pork roast, no matter what it’s called. A rose by any other name and all that.
I originally found the recipe here on Allrecipes.com, but I did change it up a bit. Of course I did! I like to serve it in tortillas (either corn or wheat), but you can serve it over rice or potatoes, in burritos or burrito bowls, enchiladas, or whatever you like. It adapts well to pretty much any Mexican dish. Also, you can make it spicier if you like; that is entirely up to your taste and how much heat you can handle! We keep it nice and mild around here, so feel free to up the ante.
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
3-4 lbs pork roast
1/2 cup chopped onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
2-4 bay leaves
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Place the roast in the slow cooker; pour the broth over it. Add onions and garlic. Mix seasonings together then sprinkle them over the roast, rubbing them in if desired. Cook on high 4-6 hours. When roast is cooked through, use two forks or a knife to break apart into smaller chunks. Continue cooking in the broth until tender enough to shred easily with two forks (about 6 hours, depending on the size of your roast, and how hot your slow cooker gets). Drain and serve in tortillas or over rice.
Because of the extra step of shredding the pork, it may perhaps not be as QUICK as many other slow cooker recipes that are ready as soon as the time is up. Shredding doesn’t take long, though, 10 minutes at most.
It’s very EASY, too. A little bit of prep before hand, and the shredding afterward, and that’s it.
It can be CHEAP if you snap up the pork roast when it goes on sale. I always buy them when they get to $0.99/lb, which is probably about once every 6-8 weeks.
Many would consider pork bad for you because of the high fat content, but the truth is that in order to remain HEALTHY, our bodies need fat. Our ancestors ate fatty foods in abundance and never had the heart trouble that our current generation experiences with all its low-fat diets. Plus, pork is a good source of iron, an essential mineral and one that can be hard to source adequately in one’s diet.
Sharing at Katherine Martinelli’s and…