Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Carnitas

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Carnitas Recipe

How to Make and Serve Pulled Pork Carnitas

One of the best things to love about slow cooking this cut of meat is; the juicy fall apart texture of the pork butt. It really takes to the slow cooking process and the south of the border inspired seasonings in this recipe. This recipe skips the classic flavor profile for pork butt barbecue transforms it into the perfect foundation for your favorite taco toppings.

• What is pork butt? It's actually from the shoulder of the pig and when cooked low and slow it becomes even more flavorful, juicy and fall apart tender. That's one of the reasons it's so popular to be used for smoking. It comes boneless and bone-in depending on the butcher.
• The simple spice rub lends flavor overall.
• I use my 6 quart oval slow cooker for this recipe, but rest assured you can use whatever shape of slow cooker that you have. When choosing the pork butt, consider the shape of the appliance you plan on using at home.
• How to top carnitas: You can finish these with a drizzle of crema or sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, queso fresco, fresh cilantro, hot sauce and beyond.  There's no wrong way to top carnitas, pile them high with your favorites!
• While we most often eat these pork carnitas on warm corn or flour tortillas, you can also go beyond that and enjoy this pulled pork on a salad or over rice.
• If there are low carb eaters at your table, try serving it in lettuce wraps with my cilantro lime cauliflower rice.
• It can also be enjoyed on toasted hoagies topped with barbecue sauce and cilantro lime cole slaw for a Mexican inspired torta.
• Regardless of how you choose to enjoy it, it's bound to become a family favorite and a terrific addition to your favorite crockpot meals.
• You may also like this recipe for Mexican torta from Tastes Better from Scratch.

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Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Carnitas

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time8 hrs

Total Time8 hrs 10 mins

Course: Main Course, Pork

Cuisine: American, Mexican Inspired

Keyword: carnitas, crockpot-pork-carnitas, slow-cooked-pork-carnitas

Servings: 20 servings

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

• 1 5-6 lb pork butt/shoulder
• 1 10 oz can diced tomatoes & chilies [such as Rotel Chili Fixins']
• 1 large sweet onion halved, thinly sliced/diced
• ⅓ cup cilantro roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoon tomato paste plus additional as needed
• 20 corn tortillas
• Paste rub:
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2-3 chipotle in adobo chopped
• 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 3 tablespoon taco or fiesta seasoning [i.e. McCormick's or Weber]
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder or paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• salt & black pepper to taste
• Assorted toppings: Shredded lettuce queso fresco, Pico de Gallo, sour cream

Instructions

• Spray the bottom and sides of a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Pour the tomatoes on the bottom. Sprinkle the chopped onion and cilantro on top.
• Mix together all of the ingredients for the paste. Rub the pork on all sides liberally using all of the paste.
• Season with salt & black pepper to your taste.
• Center in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 1 hour then on low for 7-8 hours.
• Remove from the slow cooker, shred the pork and remove the bone.
• Use a large spoon to skim the fat drippings from the top of the sauce. [Tip: If preparing in advance. remove the pork butt from the sauce and chill. The fat will solidify and rise to the top, and can easily be removed]
• Thicken the sauce with 3 tablespoon of tomato paste, more if desired. Adjust the seasonings., salt and pepper to your taste. Return the shredded meat to the sauce.
• Simmer on high for 15-20 minutes. Keep warm until serving.
• Serve with warm corn tortillas and your favorite toppings.

Notes

Depending on the amount of liquid released by the pork, you may need more than 3 tablespoon of tomato paste for thickening. Use your best judgment and thicken as needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 426mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 206IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

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