SLOW COOKER CARNITAS FROM THE KITCHN

By RoketJSquerl

Ingredients

• 1 boneless pork butt (6 to 8 pounds; also called pork shoulder)
• 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 8 garlic cloves, smashed
• 4 chipotle peppers (canned or dried)
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1 cup orange juice
• For serving
• Corn tortillas (warmed)
• Sour cream
• Cilantro
• Chopped red onion
• Lime wedges

Details

Servings 20
Adapted from pinchandswirl.com

Preparation

Step 1

Trim excess fat from the meat and discard. In a small bowl, combine the salt, cumin, pepper, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne. Rub the mixture all over the meat. Place the pork butt in a large slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix together the garlic, chipotle peppers, tomato juice, and orange juice. Pour the liquid over the meat and cook on LOW for 8 hours. The meat is done when it is fall-apart tender.
When the meat is cool enough to handle, lift it from the juices and place it in a large bowl. Remove the bone, if there is one, then shred the meat. Skim the fat from the juices in the slow cooker, and add 1 cup of the liquid to the meat. Keep the remaining juices as a medium for reheating the pork.
For carnitas tacos, reheat the meat and serve it in warmed corn tortillas with sour cream, cilantro, red onion, and lime wedges. Makes 20 to 30 taco-size servings Reprinted from The Kitchn Cookbook: Recipes, Kitchens & Tips to Inspire Your Cooking . Copyright © 2014 by Apartment Therapy LLC. Photographs copyright © 2014 by Leela Cyd. Property of Clarkson Potter, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.