Carnitas (slow cooked pork tacos)
Carnitas
adapted from www.healthyfoodforliving.com by Lauren
If you are looking for something different than ground beef or chicken tacos, this recipe is a great one to try. My husband went shopping at the grocery store and bought an assortment of meats and stuff to go with them, including taco shells, rice and beans, but forgot to buy ground beef and chicken, which is what we would normally make with tacos. However he did buy a nice 2.5+ lb. pork loin for $7.50 and I thought this might be a great alternative to ground beef or chicken. I was curious to find a different seasoning for it though, than the typical taco packet seasonings you buy at the store, I wanted a different flavor. So I googled pork tacos recipe and came across this wonderful Carnitas recipe by Lauren from www.healthyfoodforliving.com, that was easy and absolutely delicious. I changed a few things in the recipe, but stuck to the recipe for the most part. Wish I could say this was my own creation, but it wasn't, I have someone else to thank for it. This is an easy and affordable recipe that can serve about 6 people for around $10 (if you already have the spices). Thank you Lauren for sharing this wonderful recipe! Hope you all will enjoy it!!
Ingredients ( this is what I used, slightly different than Lauren's)
-2.5- 3 lbs pork loin roast; cut into large chunks, about 3-4 inches. Don't trim the fat.
-2 tsp salt
-4 tsp chili powder
-2 tsp ground cumin
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp black pepper
-1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
-1/4 cup light olive oil
-12 fluid oz beer ( I used Bud Light, that's what I had. A Corona, Modelo, Blue Moon or most other beers would work well too. The original recipe calls for a citrusy beer, I think a Mexican beer would taste good too. Bud Light works just fine though!)
-1/2 freshly squeezed citrus, such as an orange, lemon, or lime. I used a lemon, it's all I had.
Crispy taco shells, tortilla chips, flour or corn tortillas to serve on
Lime, Pico de gallo, Cheese or Cilantro and Onions (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut pork loin into large 3-4 inch chunks.
3. Mix all of the seasonings (6 of them) in a medium bowl.
4. Dip each piece of pork into the seasoning, and rub it into the meat to coat each piece well.
5. In a large oven-safe pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
6. Place seasoned pork pieces in the pot and sear the sides of each piece until brown (a few minutes each side).
7. Once pork pieces are browned, remove from the pot, and place on a plate.
8. Add the beer and citrus juice. Stir in the pot over med-high heat, making sure to scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan from the seared pork. These bits add wonderful flavor, we want that. Bring to a boil, then add the pork pieces back into the pot, cover the pot with an oven-safe lid and place in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
9. After the 30 minutes, turn pork pieces, and place back in the oven for another 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F. While cooking, turn pork another 1-2 times.
10. When the pork is done, take two forks and pull apart the meat, shredding it. Then leave it in the juice in the pot.
Serve with crunchy taco shells, flour or corn tortillas. And some onion and cilantro, pico de gallo or a little cheese.
*Serves about 6 people (2 tacos each)
*This meat would be great on nachos too!!
*I would think you can also make this in the slow cooker. I haven't tried it yet, but I don't see why not.
Slow Cooker Directions:
Follow steps 1-8, but instead of placing the pot in the oven. Pour the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4. When done, shred with forks.
adapted from www.healthyfoodforliving.com by Lauren
If you are looking for something different than ground beef or chicken tacos, this recipe is a great one to try. My husband went shopping at the grocery store and bought an assortment of meats and stuff to go with them, including taco shells, rice and beans, but forgot to buy ground beef and chicken, which is what we would normally make with tacos. However he did buy a nice 2.5+ lb. pork loin for $7.50 and I thought this might be a great alternative to ground beef or chicken. I was curious to find a different seasoning for it though, than the typical taco packet seasonings you buy at the store, I wanted a different flavor. So I googled pork tacos recipe and came across this wonderful Carnitas recipe by Lauren from www.healthyfoodforliving.com, that was easy and absolutely delicious. I changed a few things in the recipe, but stuck to the recipe for the most part. Wish I could say this was my own creation, but it wasn't, I have someone else to thank for it. This is an easy and affordable recipe that can serve about 6 people for around $10 (if you already have the spices). Thank you Lauren for sharing this wonderful recipe! Hope you all will enjoy it!!
Ingredients ( this is what I used, slightly different than Lauren's)
-2.5- 3 lbs pork loin roast; cut into large chunks, about 3-4 inches. Don't trim the fat.
-2 tsp salt
-4 tsp chili powder
-2 tsp ground cumin
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp black pepper
-1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
-1/4 cup light olive oil
-12 fluid oz beer ( I used Bud Light, that's what I had. A Corona, Modelo, Blue Moon or most other beers would work well too. The original recipe calls for a citrusy beer, I think a Mexican beer would taste good too. Bud Light works just fine though!)
-1/2 freshly squeezed citrus, such as an orange, lemon, or lime. I used a lemon, it's all I had.
Crispy taco shells, tortilla chips, flour or corn tortillas to serve on
Lime, Pico de gallo, Cheese or Cilantro and Onions (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut pork loin into large 3-4 inch chunks.
3. Mix all of the seasonings (6 of them) in a medium bowl.
4. Dip each piece of pork into the seasoning, and rub it into the meat to coat each piece well.
5. In a large oven-safe pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
6. Place seasoned pork pieces in the pot and sear the sides of each piece until brown (a few minutes each side).
7. Once pork pieces are browned, remove from the pot, and place on a plate.
8. Add the beer and citrus juice. Stir in the pot over med-high heat, making sure to scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan from the seared pork. These bits add wonderful flavor, we want that. Bring to a boil, then add the pork pieces back into the pot, cover the pot with an oven-safe lid and place in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
9. After the 30 minutes, turn pork pieces, and place back in the oven for another 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F. While cooking, turn pork another 1-2 times.
10. When the pork is done, take two forks and pull apart the meat, shredding it. Then leave it in the juice in the pot.
Serve with crunchy taco shells, flour or corn tortillas. And some onion and cilantro, pico de gallo or a little cheese.
*Serves about 6 people (2 tacos each)
*This meat would be great on nachos too!!
*I would think you can also make this in the slow cooker. I haven't tried it yet, but I don't see why not.
Slow Cooker Directions:
Follow steps 1-8, but instead of placing the pot in the oven. Pour the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4. When done, shred with forks.
Comments
Post a Comment