Pork

Carnitas- Mexican shredded pork

This is the recipe that I use for every carnitas that I make.  I use it for tacos, enchiladas, tamales, and nachos. It has a nice bit of spicy sweetness with a little crispies like it has been grilled. Super easy to make, it cooks all day in the crockpot and is broiled for a few minutes before serving. I have even had great luck with freezing any leftover meat for our next carnitas meal.

 

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Carnitas (Mexican shredded pork)

Equipment

  • Large crock pot
  • sheet pan

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lb boneless pork butt
  • 1 tbsp Mexican oregano
  • 1 tbsp Ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp Chili powder
  • 1 tsp Sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 cup Chicken broth
  • 1 Large yellow onion
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 2 jalapeños
  • 2 tbsp Orange marmalade

Instructions
 

  • Take pork out of the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, combine oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
  • Rub the spices over entire pork butt.
  • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium.
  • Sear pork on all sides, creating a deep browning on the outside of the meat.
  • Place the pork in the crockpot.
  • Deglaze the skillet with chicken broth, scraping the bottom to release any brown bits. Pour this broth into the crockpot over the top of the pork.
  • Add onion, garlic, jalapeño, and orange marmalade to the crockpot. I usually spread a little on top of the pork and drop a little on either side of the meat into the chicken broth.
  • Set on low for 8-10 hours.
  • When pork is tender and falling apart, remove from the crockpot and shred onto a sheet pan. Remove any grisly or fatty pieces. Pour the broth from the crockpot over the shredded pork.
  • Turn broiler on high and broil for about 4 minutes, or until parts of the meat is crisping. Stir on the sheet pan and broil again to get even more crispiness.