Pork Carnitas

Let the slow cooker do all the work when making these ridiculously tender carnitas. Served in warm corn tortillas, this flavor-packed shredded pork takes taco night to the next level.

Carnitas, the Spanish word for “little meats,” is essentially the Mexican version of pulled pork. The dish involves braising or roasting a well-marbled, fattier cut of pork like pork shoulder (also called pork butt) with onion, garlic, oregano, bay leaves, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Once tender, the meat is shredded and often pan-fried in lard, creating a crispy outer crust.

Since I’m all about making recipes healthier, you probably guessed that for today’s recipe I skipped the part about frying the shredded pork in lard. I also opted for a much leaner cut of pork and used boneless pork loin chops. One way to cook leaner, which typically means tougher, cuts of pork so that it’s fall-apart tender is to use a slow cooker (crock pot). The low and slow cooking process that happens in a slow cooker breaks down connective tissue in the meat, creating tender and juicy bites of pork.

When using a slow cooker, I find that adding spices at the beginning and at the end of the cooking process creates a more flavor dish. Slow-cooker cooking can mellow or dull the flavors of your recipe a bit. Reserving some of the seasonings used in the recipe and adding them at the end helps to brighten and intensify the flavor. For today’s carnitas, be sure to reserve a couple of tablespoons of the rub seasoning mix as it will be added to the pork once it’s shredded.

Before filling your tacos, it’s important to warm the corn tortillas. Placing a tortilla in a dry, cast-iron skillet heated over high heat is a classic way to warm them. It only takes 15 to 30 seconds on each side. Any longer and the tortilla will dry out and likely crack when folded. I found that lightly splashing the tortilla with water before adding it to the skillet resulted in a softer, more pliable tortilla. The downside to this method is that you can only heat one tortilla at a time.

The easiest way to heat several tortillas at once is in your oven. Place the top oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the top heating element and set the oven temperature to broil. Arrange the tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet. Give each tortilla a very light sprinkle of water. Put the baking sheet on the top rack and let the tortillas “toast” for 1 minute. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Using tongs, stack the tortillas on top of each other. To keep them warm, wrap the tortilla stack in a clean dish towel or aluminum foil.

One nutritional advantage to using corn tortillas over flour tortillas is that they’re lower in sodium. Some flour tortillas have close to 300 milligrams of sodium per tortilla. Corn tortillas have about 20 milligrams.

For today’s pork carnitas I went with very traditional toppings – queso fresco, also called queso blanco, thinly sliced red onion and jalapeno peppers, minced fresh cilantro, and lime slices for a squeeze of fresh lime juice. These tacos would be great with shredded lettuce or cabbage, sliced radishes, salsa or pico de gallo, diced tomatoes, chopped avocado, or a dollop of sour cream or guacamole. The possibilities are endless. And, if you’re looking for a delicious side dish to serve with these carnitas, check out my recipe for Spanish Rice.

To your health,

Darlene

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PORK CARNITAS

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 2 tacos

Prep: 15 minutes

Ready: Approximately 3 1/2 hours

INGREDIENTS

Rub seasoning mixture

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Remaining ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin chops (4 chops, about 3/4-inch thick)

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 3/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed preferred)

• 1/4 cup lime juice (fresh squeezed preferred)

• 1/2 cup salsa

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

• 3/4 cup (3 1/4 ounces) crumbled queso fresco

• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

• 2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced

• Minced fresh cilantro

• Lime slices

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare rub mixture by combining brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, granulated garlic, onion powder, salt (1/2 teaspoon), black pepper, and smoked paprika; mix well. Remove 2 tablespoons of rub mixture and set aside. This reserved seasoning mixture will be added to the pork once it is cooked and shredded.

2. Pat pork chops dry with paper towel. Rub both sides of chops with seasoning mixture. Evenly distribute onion in the bottom of slow cooker. Place seasoned pork chops on top of onion.

3. In a bowl, stir together orange juice, lime juice, and salsa and add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 to 3 1/2 hours (pork is cooked when it easily shreds). Using 2 forks, pull meat apart into shreds. Add reserved rub mixture and salt (1/4 teaspoon) to shredded pork and stir to combine with juices remaining in slow cooker. Remove shredded pork from slow cooker.

4. To assemble one taco, top a warmed tortilla with about 1/3 cup shredded pork, one tablespoon crumbled cheese, onion slices, jalapeno slices, cilantro, and a slice of lime. Each serving consists of two tacos.

Nutrition Information per Serving

313 Calories, 8 g Total fat, 3 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 73 mg Cholesterol, 494 mg Sodium, 32 g Total carbohydrate, 3 g Dietary fiber, 13 g Total sugars, 4 g Added sugars, 28 g Protein, 1 mcg (6%) Vitamin D, 131 mg (10%) Calcium, 1 mg (6%) Iron, 539 mg (10%) Potassium

© 2023 RECIPES MADE HEALTHY BY DARLENE ZIMMERMAN, MS, RD LLC

Pork Carnitas

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