Crock Pot Carnitas

Thank you, thank you , thank you for the immediate and positive feedback!!  I am loving this so far and with your encouragement I think it will only get better and easier!  You are all the best and I love you!

Alright, now for today's recipe...one of my first requests was for a slow-cook recipe.  The crock pot is an extremely useful kitchen appliance and it is very inexpensive.  This recipe is healthy, easy, and relatively inexpensive.

Crock Pot Carnitas
adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe

Ingredients
2-4 pounds pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into pieces (about 2 to 4 inches in size)
2-3 teaspoons kosher salt (or table salt if you don't have kosher)
2-3 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican but any will do)
1/2 of a large onion, peeled and cut into 4 pieces

Get your crock pot out.  Cut onion in half, put one half in a ziploc-type bag and place in refrigerator for another use OR use it for the Roasted Tomatillo Salsa recipe below!  Take the other onion half, peel it and cut into 4 slices.  Using kitchen sheers or a sharp knife cut the strings off of the pork shoulder --usually the butcher will have tied the roast.  Cut the pork into pieces, 2 to 4 inches in size but don't worry about being precise.  Put the pork and onion pieces into your crock pot.  Add salt, pepper, and oregano to the crock pot and use your hands or a spoon to coat all the pork with the seasonings.  Cover the crock pot and cook on low setting for 6 hours or high setting for 4 hours.
Using tongs, a fork or a slotted spoon, remove pork pieces to a cutting board - - pull out a few at a time.  Use two forks to shred the pork OR you may remove all the pieces to the board let cool a bit and then use your fingers to shred the pork.  Pork shoulder has a lot of fat and a good portion of it will melt away during the cooking process.  You will still find large fibrous, fatty sections while you are shredding the pork.  If you find a tough part you can almost be sure this is just a fatty portion --the pork meat will shred effortlessly.  When all the pork is shredded I put it into a dish and spoon some of the juices from the crock pot over to moisten.
I like to serve this with brown rice and lots of yummy accoutrements:  roasted tomatillo salsa (see recipe below), tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, lime wedges, cilantro, monteray jack cheese, queso fresca, etc...

the ingredients --that is my Oxo Good Grips pepper mill on the right --love it

the pork should roast

the pork cut up into pieces

the slices of onion

everything in the crock pot ready to be mixed and turned on!

Yum--finshed cooking, time to shred (see picture above)

These are tomatillos.  You can find them at all the grocery stores.  The skin peels off very easily and then the skin underneath will feel a little sticky --just rinse them under water and that stickiness will come right off.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe

ingredients
1 pound tomatillos (about 5 or 6 large), papery husks removed, rinsed
1/2 large onion, cut into thirds
1 jalepeno pepper, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (loosely packed) fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Toss the tomatillos, onion pieces, jalepeno halves, olive oil and salt together in a baking dish (glass or ceramic).  Roast in the oven until tomatillos and onion are very soft (easily pierced with a fork), about 1 hour.  Remove dish from oven and let cool for a few minutes.  Transfer all the contents of the baking dish to a food processor or blender and add the cilantro.  Puree until almost smooth.  Transfer to a bowl, taste and add pepper and salt if needed.  May be made several days in advance and refrigerated --serve chilled or at room temperature.

peeling the tomatillos

cutting and

seeding the jalepeno --use a spoon to scrape seeds out

the tomatillos, onion and jalapeno are done roasting

the one on the left is 2 yrs. old and broken, the one on the right is 23yrs old and has NEVER been broken!

everything from the roasting pan ready to be processed

add cilantro before processing...

tomatillo salsa ---minimal effort, great taste!

all the accoutrements

queso fresco -kind of like feta but milder and very salty

my favorite brand of tortillas --these are simply the best tasting brand on the market!

Warm them in a non-stick skillet, set on medium heat, for a few seconds on each side --or heat a batch in the microwave.