- We are now on the countdown
to my favorite food-centered holiday,
that's less than two weeks away and that's Cinco de Mayo.
Most of you guys know that Mexican cuisine
is one of my favorites and I love Cinco de Mayo
because you can eat all of the tacos, fajitas, guacamole,
carne asada, pico de gallo and margaritas
to your heart's content.
But today, I'm adding to that list with a classic recipe
and honestly, it's my personal favorite
when it comes to tender, juicy and flavorful meat.
And that's carnitas.
I'll show you how to make carnitas super easy
in the slow cooker and then transfer it to the oven
where we'll crisp it up for those tasty crispy edges.
And because we're gonna have so much carnitas leftover today
I thought I would show you
how you can quickly assemble carnitas tacos.
It's going to be a delicious filming day today
so, let's get started.
You'll need a four pound pork shoulder
which is also known as a pork butt
and you do want it marbled with a little bit of fat
as that will keep it juicy in the slow cooker.
You'll also need a few key spices
that are prevalent in Mexican cuisine and that includes;
one tablespoon of oregano, one tablespoon of cumin,
two teaspoons of chili powder, one teaspoon of salt,
and a half a teaspoon of black pepper.
Give that a quick stir to combine
and then you'll generously rub this
on all sides of the pork shoulder, including the bottom
because you want every inch of this pork
to be coated in flavor.
Once that's done, transfer your pork shoulder
to a slow cooker.
("Good Vibes-Instrumental Version" by East of Heaven)
In addition to our spice blend,
we'll add a few more key ingredients
that'll infuse flavor into the pork
while it simmers overnight.
The first is an onion, so dice that up
and add it to the slow cooker.
I just dump the onion on top
but I do try to get it down the sides
so it can simmer in all of the juices that are formed.
Then, you'll want to de-seed
and dice a small jalapeno pepper.
My supermarket was out of jalapenos,
so I'm using a serrano pepper
which is a little bit more spicy but either works.
To de-seed the pepper, just slice it in half
and then use a spoon to scrape out the seeds.
Then, finely dice it.
I like it finely diced
as little bits will end up in the final carnitas
but if you want some of the flavor with a little less spice,
just place the halves in the slow cooker
so that they can simmer in the juices
but then you can remove them at the end.
Next, you'll need four garlic cloves
but being as I've got one monster-sized garlic clove today,
I'm using three.
Just give the garlic a good smash with your knife
to remove the skin and then mince the garlic
straight into the slow cooker.
To help tenderize our meat and add a little sweetness,
you'll need the juice from one orange.
You can use one of those handheld squeezers
but because I have the weakest wrists known to man,
I love my little tabletop juicer.
Add that to the slow cooker
and then make sure all of the garlic and jalapeno
gets down the sides as well.
Now, when it comes to slow cooker carnitas,
just like my regular pulled pork recipe,
I do recommend slow cooking for eight to 10 hours.
Yes, you can cook it on high for four to six hours,
but I find that it's just not as tender or flavorful
so, it's best to plan ahead
and let the slow cooker work it's magic overnight.
When you take the lid off the slow cooker,
it'll smell amazing and you'll want to use a spatula
to get under the meat because if you try to remove it
with just two forks, odds are, it will fall apart on you.
Place the pork on a cutting board
and then use two forks to shred it.
I use two serving forks for this job
as they're bigger and easier
but the meat should literally, just fall apart.
("Good Vibes-Instrumental Version" by East of Heaven)
At this point, your carnitas is done
and you can certainly enjoy it right away just like this.
But if you love it with those crispy edges,
then, let's move on to the next step.
There's two ways to crisp up carnitas
and that's in a pan on the stove
or in the oven under the broiler.
I prefer the latter as I can get it done in one large batch
on a sheet pan, whereas on the stove,
you usually have to work in a couple of smaller batches,
but I have directions for both methods on my website.
So, turn on your top broiler
and transfer the carnitas to a baking sheet.
Try to get it in one layer and then take about a cup or so
of the leftover liquid from your slow cooker
and pour that on top.
This is how we'll get carnitas
that is both crispy and juicy and tender.
Place the carnitas in the oven
and cook for about five to 10 minutes,
just keep an eye on it
as you don't wanna over-crisp it and dry it out.
When you remove the carnitas from the oven,
you'll see that the top is now golden and crispy
and that's exactly what you want.
Because then, when you use tongs to mix it all together,
you'll get pieces that are crispy,
mixed with pieces that are nice and juicy
and oh so flavorful.
One of my favorite things to make with carnitas
are carnitas tacos and I'll show you how to assemble
very simple street taco style.
Just dice up some red onion,
though you could use sweet yellow onion as well
and roughly chop cilantro because,
what is a Mexican taco without cilantro.
Then, warm up some tortillas
and I'm using my homemade cassava flour tortillas
which I have a separate video for and add them to a plate.
Add a good amount of carnitas,
a sprinkle of onion and cilantro,
a squeeze of lime juice and that's it.
Delicious carnitas tacos.
You could also add Cotija cheese or Lime Crema
for a little more creaminess.
But really, these tacos are all about the meat,
so, no matter how you assemble them, they're delicious.
I hope you guys enjoyed today's video and if you did,
give it a thumbs up, share it with your family and friends
and I can't wait to see you whip up this recipe
and many of my others for Cinco de Mayo.
("Good Vibes-Instrumental Version" by East of Heaven)