Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)
Browning the pork first is essential so dont skip this step. Pork shoulder is very inexpensive and you can make a few meals out of this. Be sure to buy the boneless pork shoulder blade roast, as it is leaner than the pork shoulder picnic. The prep for this is about 15 minutes the night before. Get it ready and refrigerate it so you simply take it out and plug it in when you get up. Serve this with tortillas, use in burritos, or simply have this with cilantro lime rice. You can make your own Chipotles burrito bowl with lettuce, sour cream, corn salsa, guacamole, or whatever else you usually put in yours!
Browning the pork first is essential so dont skip this step. Pork shoulder is very inexpensive and you can make a few meals out of this. Be sure to buy the boneless pork shoulder blade roast, as it is leaner than the pork shoulder picnic. The prep for this is about 15 minutes the night before. Get it ready and refrigerate it so you simply take it out and plug it in when you get up. Serve this with tortillas, use in burritos, or simply have this with cilantro lime rice. You can make your own Chipotles burrito bowl with lettuce, sour cream, corn salsa, guacamole, or whatever else you usually put in yours!
- Carbohydrate 0.15493203125 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.016561796875 g
- Fiber 0.0459679674208164 g
- Protein 0.022474453125 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0037372265625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (146g)
- Sodium 0.07465625 mg
- Sugar 0.108964063829184 g
- Trans Fat 0.00389684375 g
- Calories 1 calories
Step-by-step
- Season pork with salt and pepper.
- In a medium sauté pan on medium-high heat, brown pork on all sides for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Using a sharp knife, insert blade into pork, cutting small holes and insert garlic slivers.
- Season pork generously with cumin, adobo and garlic powder all over.
- Pour chicken broth in the crock pot, add bay leaves and chipotle peppers.
- Place pork in crock pot and cover.
- Cook low for 8 hours.
- After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices that accumulated at the bottom.
- Remove bay leaves and adjust salt and cumin (you will probably need to add more).
- Let it cook another 15-30 minutes.
The Danger of Cut Selection
Swapping the boneless pork shoulder blade roast for a picnic cut introduces excessive bone weight and irregular fat pockets that alter the final moisture level. Pork shoulder relies on internal collagen to keep the meat succulent during eight hours of sustained heat. Trimming every trace of fat leaves the muscle dry because melting lipids provide the necessary basting liquid inside the slow cooker vessel. Browning the meat for ten minutes in a medium sauté pan builds essential Maillard compounds that direct simmering cannot replicate. Piercing the cooled roast with small incisions allows garlic slivers to penetrate deeply rather than burning on the exterior surface.
Moisture Management and Shredding Mechanics
Adding three-quarters of a cup of chicken broth provides sufficient liquid for steam generation without submerging the roast entirely. Cooking on the low setting for eight hours ensures the connective tissue fully converts into gelatin. Shredding requires two forks immediately after the initial cooking window before the meat cools down and tightens. Discarding the two bay leaves prevents bitter herbal notes from overpowering the chipotle peppers and adobo seasoning during the final thirty-minute resting phase.
