September 2, 2011

Carnitas

So, I made Carnitas earlier in the week and I was so excited, I forgot to snap a picture of my incredibly scrumptious tacos. I’m sorry, too, because it would have made your mouth water.

I mean it.

Last night when I was preparing left-overs, I realized that in my fit of cleaning for trash day, I had thrown away all the tortillas. Bad mistake. Bad, bad mistake.

What’s a girl to do?

Make nachos, that’s what!

Usually, when I make nachos, I drown the tortilla chip with beans and sharp cheddar cheese. Meat is never necessarily required.

Beans and cheese? Required.

And, jalepenos. Most definitely.

But, with the meat left-over from the Carnitas, I chose a different route.

This time, I smeared refried beans on each tortilla chip, then I topped each with some of the Carnita meat. (What’s carnita meat? Just plain ol’ pork shoulder roast; slow-cooked.) Then, I slapped those babies into the oven, under the broiler, for a few minutes.

Then, I added the toppings. With this batch of nachos, I went with lighter, fresher toppings.

Chopped sweet yellow onion, fresh cilantro, avocado, and a smattering of goat cheese. (I didn’t have any Cotija cheese–Mexican cow’s milk cheese–so, I went with the goat cheese. It was great!)

I highly recommend you make Carnitas this weekend!

I am!

I loved this easy recipe so much, I’ve decided to serve it on a taco bar this weekend, for my friends.

Have a fun Labor Day!

Carnitas Recipe:

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
2 bay leaves
1 onion, quartered
2 cups chicken broth

Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Coat pork with the spice mixture. Place the bay leaves and onion in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.
Cover and cook on Low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 5 hours. When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, and shred with two forks. Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.

Next time I make it, I will double the spices (except the cinnamon), and add a couple whole, crushed garlic gloves, as well.