Crispy Crockpot Carnitas Mexican Pulled Pork Food

CRISPY CROCKPOT CARNITAS (MEXICAN PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsps light brown sugar, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsps paprika, and 2 tsps cumin. Rinse the pork under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub the spice mixture over all sides of the pork.
• Line the bottom of the slow cooker with the sliced white onion, orange juice, and lime juice. Add the pork and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
• When the pork is finished cooking, preheat the broiler to high and remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred the meat with two forks. Arrange the pulled pork in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle one tbsp of brown sugar and 1 tsp of paprika over the meat. Place the baking sheet on the top rack of the oven and broil for 5-6 minutes until the pork is charred and crispy (not burnt).

CARNITAS (MEXICAN SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.
• Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.
• Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.
• Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 7 hours. (Note 2 for other cook methods)
• Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.
• Optional: Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard.
• If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft.

PORK CARNITAS (MEXICAN SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Rinse and pat dry pork with a paper towel.
• In the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker, add pork, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, onion, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, coke, and bay leaves.
• Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 5-6 hours (until the meat falls apart).
• Remove pork and shred with two forks (DO NOT DISCARD THE LIQUID!)

MEXICAN PULLED PORK-CARNITAS(ATK)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 300°F Trim the pork roast to remove most of the fat (leave some on); cut into 2″x2″ cubes. Place into an oven safe saucepan or Dutch oven along with the onion, orange, lime juice, bay leaves, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and water. Place on the stove over medium-high heat and bring up to a full simmer, stirring occasionally. Place a lid on the saucepan and move it to the middle lower rack of your oven. Bake at 300F for 2 hours, or until pork is fork tender (if you poke it with a fork, it easily slides off the fork). Remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven to broil. Using a slotted spoon, move the pork into a bowl and strain the liquid, placing it back into the pan for a glaze. Reduce the liquid over medium-high heat until the liquid reduces to about one cup.
• Using two forks, pull each chunk of pork into two pieces, placing them back into the bowl. Toss with the reduced glaze to coat all pieces evenly; season with salt and pepper to taste. Place a baking rack onto a rimmed cookie sheet or a baking pan with raised sides (to contain any liquids). Place pork chunks onto the baking rack so that the juices will drip onto the baking sheet, about 1″ apart. Put the baking sheet back into the oven on the lower-middle rack and allow to broil for 5-8 minutes, or until the meat starts to crisp on the top. Remove from the oven, flip all pork pieces, and place back in the oven to broil for an additional 5-8 minutes on the second side, or until edges are crisp but not burned.
• Remove the meat from the oven. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top and give it a sprinkle of salt. Serve with warm flour tortillas, guacamole, minced red onion, cilantro, salsa and sour cream. The result: pulled pork so tender it melts in your mouth, with crispy broiled edges that will make your heart sing. The addition of fresh lime juice and salt at the end really perks it up. Leftover pork (if there is any) would be awesome as a filling for enchiladas, tamales, or burritos.