Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

There are two reasons I decided to make slow cooker pork carnitas last night.

One. I was lazy.

Two. It was easy.

So, my flight home from California was delayed due to weather, so I didn’t land until after 0200 on Monday morning. By the time I took a cab back to my place, dropped my stuff in the middle of the floor, set up my coffeepot, and brushed my teeth, it was 0300. And I had to be at work at 0700.

Suffice to say, Monday was a little rough.

(that’s a can of diced green chilies I threw on top. it looks weird, and you can easily omit if you like, but it definitely adds a little south of the border to this dish!)

So when I went to the grocery store after work so do my weekly shopping, I went for easy, no-fuss meals that I could throw together and forget about. (And for those of you thinking that this is what I do on a regular basis, you’d be right.)

But anyway. Let’s talk about carnitas!

I didn’t even know what carnitas was until I found pork butt steaks on sale at the grocery store, bought them, and then took them home and had to come up with some way to prepare them. A few google searches later, and I found pork carnitas.

According to wikipedia Carnitas, literally “little meats,” are a type of braised or roasted (often after first being fried) pork in Mexican cuisine.

A.K.A. one of the easiest and most delicious meals I’ve ever made. I did not fry my meat first, I just tossed it in a slow cooker, but you get the same fabulous taste either way I think. After cooking on low heat forever, the pork just falls apart, it’s a veritable flavor bomb, and you can eat it in a variety of ways. What’s not to love?

Just beware. If you prep it the night before and cook it overnight, your house will smell absolutely amazing at 0300 and you may not be able to resist the temptation to sneak out into your kitchen to take a taste. It makes it really hard to sleep.

It’s oh so worth it, though.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: (serves a lot)

2.5 lbs pork butt roast

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 yellow onion

1 can diced green chiles

chili powder, roasted cumin, and garlic salt to taste

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

WHAT TO DO:

Chop your onion and garlic and toss in the bottom of the crock pot. Place pork roast on top of the onion and garlic and cover liberally with your chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt. Sprinkle the apple cider vinegar over the top, dump in the can of green chiles, and cover. Cook that sucker on low for 12 hours.

In the morning, if you’ve resisted temptation and still have your beautiful, luscious roast in one piece, pull the pork apart with two forks and stir everything to combine the flavors. Serve with eggs, in lettuce wraps with salsa and guacamole, make tacos, add it to a salad …the possibilities are endless!