Crispy Mexican Pulled Pork (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Meat
01 -
3-4 lbs pork shoulder or pork butt (trimmed of fat cap and cut into fist-sized chunks)
→ Aromatics
02 -
2 tablespoons olive oil
03 -
Salt and pepper to taste
04 -
4 cloves garlic, minced
05 -
1 onion, chopped
06 -
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped (optional)
→ Liquids
07 -
1 cup chicken broth
08 -
1/2 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed preferred)
09 -
1/4 cup lime juice (freshly squeezed preferred)
→ Spices
10 -
1 tablespoon chili powder
11 -
1 teaspoon ground cumin
12 -
1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 -
1 bay leaf
# Instructions:
01 -
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season those pork chunks with salt and pepper, then sear them until they're nicely browned on all sides - about 3-4 minutes per side. When they're looking good, transfer the pork and all those flavorful pan juices to your slow cooker.
02 -
Toss the minced garlic, chopped onion, and jalapeño (if you're using it) into the slow cooker, arranging them around the browned pork chunks.
03 -
Pour the chicken broth, orange juice, and lime juice over everything. Sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin, and oregano, then tuck in that bay leaf. Give it all a gentle stir to mix the flavors together.
04 -
Cover your slow cooker and set it to low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. You'll know it's ready when the pork is super tender and falls apart easily when you poke it with a fork.
05 -
Once your pork is fall-apart tender, fish it out of the cooking liquid and transfer it to a cutting board or large dish. Use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces.
06 -
Spread the shredded pork out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle some of those amazing cooking juices over the top, then slide it under the broiler for 5-10 minutes until the edges get crispy and caramelized.
07 -
Pile those crispy carnitas onto a serving platter and drizzle with a bit more of the cooking liquid to keep everything juicy. Serve with warm tortillas and all your favorite taco fixings.
# Notes:
01 -
Don't skip the searing step - it adds a ton of flavor to your carnitas.
02 -
Try using the chicken broth to deglaze the pan you seared the pork in to capture all those delicious browned bits.
03 -
Freshly squeezed citrus juices make a big difference in the flavor of the finished dish.
04 -
The broiling step is what transforms this from regular pulled pork to authentic-tasting carnitas with those crispy edges.