Slow-Cooker Mexican Pork Carnitas

Slow-Cooker Mexican Pork Carnitas

from Skinnytaste Cookbook

2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed
6 garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (or more if you like it spicy)
1  1/4 tsp. ground cumin, divided
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Season the pork all over with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Set in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat, add the pork, and brown on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

For the dry adobo rub:

In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of the cumin, the garlic powder, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper.

Using a sharp knife, insert the knife into the pork about 1 inch deep and insert the crushed garlic, rubbing any excess over the pork. Rub the pork all over with the dry adobo rub.

Pour the chicken broth into the slow cooker and add the bay leaves, chipotle peppers, and the pork. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, transfer the pork to a large dish. Discard the bay leaves. Shred the pork using two forks and return it to the slow cooker with the juices. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and the 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Serves 10

My Notes:

This recipe made enough for 6 tacos and 2 large quesadillas. If I'm going to make this for a group, I'll definitely want to use 4-5 pounds of pork. The roast I bought was 4 pounds, so I cut it in half and put it in the freezer for future use. I was worried that 2 pounds wasn't going to be enough for a couple of meals, but there was plenty. However, I think next time, I'll just double the recipe and freeze the cooked meat for tacos, quesadillas and burritos. 

I didn't use the garlic and the meat still tasted flavorful.

I've never cooked with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and I wasn't sure how spicy they would make the meat, so I decided to just use one pepper. I didn't dice it up, either; just set it in the broth and stirred it around. I'm not sure if I'd bother with it next time around. Maybe some cayenne added to the rub would be sufficient for a little kick.

After shredding the pork, I decided to throw it in a hot skillet to make the meat a bit more crispy. I didn't have to add any oil or fat since the pork is already a little fatty. 

Serve with warm tortillas, shredded jack & cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, guacamole and sour cream. Don't forget the Negra Modelo!

Smothered Pork Chops with Onions & Bacon

I'm not a huge fan of pork. Don't get me wrong. I love bacon (thin and extra crispy!) and ribs have become one of my favorite go-to crock pot recipes. But pork chops or pork tenderloin? Not so much. However, my husband loves pork chops and while I try to cook as many recipes that we both enjoy, every now and then I try to fix something that he loves that I'd just as soon skip.

While perusing America's Taste Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution, I stumbled upon this recipe and thought it might just be a winner. Forgetting that I already had plans for the night (margaritas and Mexican food with two co-workers!), I decided to go ahead anyway and make the recipe for my husband. The verdict? He said it was awesome. We had the leftovers a couple of days ago and I thought the pork was a little dry. I'll definitely give it another chance when I can actually eat it on the same day it's prepared.

Smothered Pork Chops with Onions and Bacon

4 oz. bacon (about 4 slices), chopped
3 onions, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 tsp. brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 bay leaves
6 (7-oz.) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick, sides slit to prevent curling
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium over medium heat until crisp, 5-7 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat left in skillet.

Add onions, 1 teaspoon sugar, garlic, and thyme to fat in skillet and cook over medium-high heat until onions are softened and well browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps; transfer to slow cooker.

Stir remaining tablespoon sugar, soy sauce, and bay leaves into slow cooker. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until pork is tender, 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 5 hours on high.

Transfer pork chops to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves. Stir in vinegar and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon 1 cup sauce over chops and serve with remaining sauce.

Serves 6

My Notes:

Since I leave for work at 6:45 a.m, I prepped everything for this recipe the night before. All I had to do in the morning was heat the refrigerated bacon/onion sauce in the slow cooker before adding the chops.

I never bother to chop bacon. I simply fry it as I normally would and then break it into pieces or crumble as directed.

3 onions seemed like an awful lot, so I went with 2. 

I always use low-sodium soy sauce.

I didn't have any fresh parsley and I don't think it was missed.

I served this with rice for the first meal and mashed potatoes for the leftovers.

Next time, I'll probably just use 3-4 chops instead of 6.

Carnitas (Crispy Pork)

4 lbs. boneless country-style pork ribs
2 cups (or more) water
1 ½ cups fresh orange juice
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon fine sea salt (optional)
1 teaspoon grated orange peel (optional)
¼ cup brandy

Warm corn tortillas
Guacamole and Salsa
Cheese (Cheddar and/or Monterey Jack), grated
Green Onions, diced
Tomatoes, diced
Sour cream

Cut pork pieces crosswise into thirds. Cut off any big chunks of fat from pork and reserve; leave small pieces of fat attached to pork. Combine pork, reserved fat, 2 cups water, and next 4 ingredients in a deep 12-inch skillet (I used a large Dutch Oven instead). Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until pork is tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. Add more water by ¼ cupfuls if necessary to keep pork partially submerged.

Uncover; boil pork mixture until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Stir in brandy; boil until liquid evaporates and meat browns and begins to get crisp, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Cool meat slightly. Discard any loose pieces of fat. Tear meat into strips; return to skillet (I was able to shred the meat in the pan with a wooden spoon, it was that tender).

Add 2 tablespoons water to skillet. Cover and re-warm pork over medium-low heat, stirring, about 5 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl. Serve with warm tortillas, guacamole, salsa, cheese, tomatoes, onions and sour cream.

Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Re-warm with a couple of tablespoons of water, as in previous step.

Servings: 8

Notes:

I no longer include the salt (too salty the first time I made it!) and I've never included the grated orange peel.

This makes quite a lot of carnitas, which is wonderful for leftovers. I freeze a few cups in individual containers and simply re-warm the defrosted pork in a skillet over medium-heat.

I may try to add some flavor to the pork next time by substituting 1 cup of the water with chicken broth. Also, a few dashes of cumin in the pot might be good. This is not at all spicy!

Modified from original recipe in Bon Appétit (May 2003)

Island Pork Tenderloin

2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 pork tenderloin (2 1/4 - 2 1/2 lb. total)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. Tabasco

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon. Coat pork with spice rub.

Heat olive oil in an oven proof 12" skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke. Brown pork on all sides, about 4 minutes total. Remove from heat and leave pork in skillet. Note: If using a regular skillet, transfer meat to oven proof baking dish after browning.

Stir together brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco. Pat on top of each tenderloin.

Roast meat in middle of oven until meat thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140 degrees, about 20 minutes.

When finished roasting, remove from oven and allow meat to stand in skillet at room temperature for 10 more minutes (internal temperature should rise to about 155 while resting).

Notes:

Original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of chili powder, not 1/2.

I prefer to roast the pork to 150-155 degrees and allow it to rest (loosely covered with foil) for the recommended 10 minutes.

Excellent served with saffron rice or rice pilaf with toasted almonds.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetite

Pork Chops with Thyme Gravy

4 (1/2-inch thick) boneless pork loin chops, trimmed
1 tsp. dried thyme
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 beef bouillon cube
1 cup hot water
4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs

Season chops with salt and pepper. Brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning once. Place in a lightly greased 13x9-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle each chop with thyme and dot with butter.

Dissolve bouillon cube in 1 cup hot water; pour around chops. Bake, covered with foil, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove pork chops to plate (cover and keep warm). Pour drippings from casserole dish into skillet used to brown chops.

Whisk together flour and 1/2 cup water until smooth; whisk into drippings, and cook, whisking constantly until thick and bubbly. Thin with additional water, if necessary.

Serve gravy with pork chops, and garnish, if desired.

Serves 4

Note: I don't use boneless; bone-in have more flavor.

Delicious with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

2 large eggs
1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6-8 Tablespoons olive oil

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate (or shallow bowl) to blend. Place bread crumbs in another pie plate or bowl. Place the Parmesan cheese in another.

Trim any excess fat from the pork chops. Sprinkle generously with salt & pepper.

Dip the chops in the Parmesan, patting to adhere.

Dip the chops in the eggs, turning to coat.

Dip the chops in the bread crumbs, coating completely, patting to adhere.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if neccessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees (about 6 minutes per side). Add more oil, if necessary. Transfer chops to oven until ready to serve.

Note: Be sure to keep the heat at a moderate level otherwise the bread crumbs will start to burn before the inside of the pork chop is finished cooking.

Recipe adapted from Giada's Family Dinners cookbook

Oven-barbecued Ribs

1 side pork babyback ribs (3-4 lbs.)
1/2 cup water
Kansas City Masterpiece BBQ Sauce (or any favorite BBQ sauce)

Arrange ribs in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan (I just use a glass 9x13 casserole dish sprayed with PAM).

Pour in 1/2 cup water. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Remove ribs from oven, setting aside while you prep the pan/dish.

Discard water and pan drippings; wipe pan with paper towel and line with foil.

Place ribs on top of foil and coat with BBQ sauce.

Return ribs to oven and continue roasting, uncovered, for another 30-45 minutes (occasionally brushing with additional BBQ sauce).

Remove from oven and cut into serving-size pieces.

Update: I made these last night and wound up having to cook them longer than usual. 2 hours baking in the oven (with some water in the dish), covered with foil. Then another hour with the BBQ sauce, covered with foil. They were incredible! Much better than when I've taken the foil off and cooked for a shorter period of time. The meat fell off the bones and was deliciously tender.

Delicious with coleslaw, cornbread or homemade Mac & Cheese.

Recipe adapted from Sunset Easy Basics for Good Cooking cookbook