Crispy Carnitas
- 2 pounds pork butt
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
(about 1/2 cup or 75 grams)
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
(or about 8 fresh cloves, crushed)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce, like Tabasco
(or more to taste)
Place all ingredients in slow-cooker and add 1 cup water. Cook on low, covered,
for 9 or more hours.
Strain off the cooking liquid, reserving what’s left of the chopped vegetables.
Shred the meat, discarding excess fat, and then add it and the vegetables to a
hot sauté pan. Cook and stir uncovered over medium heat until the shredded meat
becomes brown and very crispy. There should be enough fat still in the meat after
slow-cooking for it to render out during this last cooking process without the
need to add additional oil to the pan, but you may need to add 3-4 tablespoons
of water to the pan at the beginning to get the process going without first burning
everything on. By the time the water evaporates, the oil you’ll need to finish should
be there if you stick to pork butt - don’t try to make this recipe with a loin or
other lean cut, or you’ll be disappointed in the end!
Use the cooked meat hot or cold, in wraps, casseroles, sandwiches, etc. I serve
mine just as in the above recipe, on a tortilla with chopped tomato and sour
cream. When I’m feeling especially indulgent, I add a whole fresh-roasted green
chili to my wrap under the carnita and other condiments.
NUTRITION INFO (pork only, not including wraps or garnishes): 8 servings, each
serving 297 calories; 18 gm fat (6 gm saturated); 1 gm carbohydrate;
30 gm protein.
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Spring is in the air, and for some that might mean putting away their
crockpot until cold weather returns, but I’ve always considered this
appliance a wonderful year-round timesaver! Cooking in the crockpot
is a great way to cook without heating the kitchen up any more than
necessary once truly warm weather arrives, too.
Trim any visible fat from meat and discard. Combine seasoning mix and olive
oil and rub into all surfaces. Place in an electric slow cooker; add onion,
vinegar, and green chilies. Cover; cook on low for 9 or more hours
(read this as: go to work; then come home.)
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