Crockpot carnitas
Citrusy pork shoulder slow cooks all day, then crisps under the broiler for tacos that taste like a taqueria.
- 660 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 8
- About $1.72 a serving
- 530 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 3 lb pork shoulder, boneless, cut into 3-inch chunks
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 orange, halved
- 3 limes, divided
- 16 corn tortillas
- ½ white onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup salsa verde (optional)
From your pantry
- 2½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Each serving has about 530 calories, 33 g protein, 32 g carbs and 31 g fat, and costs about $1.72 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? Red onions work.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Mix the salt, cumin, oregano, chili powder and pepper, and rub it all over the pork chunks. Wash your hands.
Dolly’s tip: Pork shoulder is a big, rich cut and needs plenty of salt. This is not the place to be shy.Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Put the quartered onion and smashed garlic in the slow cooker, set the pork on top, and tuck in the bay leaves.
Squeeze the orange and 1 lime over the pork, and drop the squeezed orange halves in too.
Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours, until the pork is and falls apart when you press it.
Fork-tender. Fork-tender means cooked until a fork slides in with almost no push. It’s how you know potatoes, carrots or slow-cooked meat are soft all the way through.
How you’ll know: The fork slides in and out easily, and meat pulls apart with very little effort.
Timer: 480 min
Dolly’s tip: No water needed. The pork makes plenty of its own juice as it cooks.Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
Lift the pork onto a , it with two forks, and throw away the bay leaves, onion and orange halves.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Shred. Shredding means making thin strips, either on the big holes of a grater or by pulling cooked meat apart with two forks. Shreds soak up sauce and mix evenly through a dish.
How you’ll know: Cooked chicken pulls apart into strands with little effort, and cheese comes off in long, loose strips.
Turn on the . Spoon ½ cup of the cooking juices over the pork and spread it in an even layer.
Broil. Broiling means cooking under the oven’s top heating element, with strong heat from above. It browns and crisps the top in minutes, and it can burn fast, so stay close.
How you’ll know: The top bubbles and spots golden brown; check every minute and pull it before it blackens.
Broil 4 to 6 minutes, until the tips are browned and . Stir, on a little more juice, and broil 2 to 3 minutes more.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Stay close. The edges go from crispy to burnt fast.Warm the tortillas and fill them with carnitas, chopped onion, cilantro, salsa verde and a squeeze from the last 2 limes.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
