Pork Carnitas, Orange & Beer Braised, Slow Cooker
Spicy and tender this is great as a quesadilla filling, or on a sandwich or app.
Ingredients
- 4.5-5 pound pork shoulder roast, cubed into 3-4 inch pieces
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 Jalapeno deseeded, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 onion quartered
- 12 ounces beer
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 oranges juiced
- 2 limes juiced
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and paprika. Season pork shoulder in spice mixture, rubbing gently into the meat with your fingers. Let the meat rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to overnight, to let the rub penetrate.
- Add pork, beer, orange juice, jalapeno, crushed garlic, onion, juices, and zest to the slow cooker, set on low and cook for 10 hours.
- Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks
- Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard.
- If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside – don’t bother straining onion etc, it’s super soft.
To Crisp
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side – you don’t want to make it brown all over because then it’s too crispy, need tender juicy bits. You can also place in the broiler for 10 minutes. flip once to get both sides.
- Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) – don’t crowd the pan.
- Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot, stuffed in tacos (see notes for sides, other serving suggestion and storage/make ahead).