Carnitas a la crockpot
0I was looking at Nikki’s carnitas the other day and they looked really delicious. But, between our oven, which leaks heat from the sides because the thing will just not shut properly, and the 92 degree weather we were experiencing, I wasn’t much in the mood to keep the oven on for five or six hours.
I decided to take the recipe and modify it to the crockpot. I make something extremely similar to this with chicken every once in a while. It’s so easy to get together and it’s ready for tacos/burritos/over rice/etc. when you get home.
I used:
– 2 lb. pork roast
– cumin
– oregano
– chili powder
– cayenne powder
– salt and pepper
– 5 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
– 1 cup tomatillo salsa
– 1 onion, diced
– canola oil
– cilantro (optional)
– cooking spray
Spray the bowl of the crockpot with some cooking oil.
Cook the diced onions in the oil until they are translucent. Add the tomatillo salsa in and stir to combine.
Meanwhile, season the roast. Season liberally with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne (well not too liberally with that if you don’t like spicier foods 🙂 on both sides. On the top, cut 5 slits or Xs into the roast and insert the whole cloves of garlic in the slits.
Sear the roast in a little canola oil to brown on all sides befre putting it into the crockpot. Pour tomatillo mixture over the roast.
Cook on low for about 8 hours or on high for, I would guess about 4. Shred the meat with two forks and continue to cook for about 30 minutes with the lid off, to thicken the salsa a bit. Remove the garlic cloves and stir in the cilantro.
Use to fill tacos/burritos/enchiladas or just eat with some beans and rice.
We went with burritos filled with some Mexican flavored brown rice, sour cream, black beans and cheese. I used reduced fat items for the toppings and low carb burrito wraps. Once I accidentally bought low carb tortillas and they were one of the most vile things I had put in my mouth. This time I accidentally bought them AGAIN but was too lazy (and cheap) to replace them with regular whole wheat ones. Well, I have to say these were actually good–Tumaro’s multigrain wraps. They have 12g of fiber, too!