Intolerances: Fructose, Gluten, Dairy, Soy
Easy carnitas that can transform into any Mexican dish. Set it and forget it, shred and fry it.
Have you ever been asked the question: if you could only eat three things for the rest of your life, what would they be? I will answer the same 2 of 3 every time, french fries and tacos. This may be cheating, because I do not specify what kind of taco, In my mind, I can rotate the taco every time I want one. Think of the possibilities. Choose your protein, choose your shell, choose your topping. It is the same reason why a taco bar is so fantastic. Every taco can be different. When you are diagnosed and realize that you don’t tolerate all of those fantastic Mexican flavors, you have to do something, you have to come up with something. These carnitas have been a game changer. You don’t miss the flavor, you get the texture, they go on any Mexican dish you want.
Serve with:
- Gluten Free Homemade Tortillas
- Mexican Slaw
- Pickled Onions
- Avocado Mash
- Lime Zest Rice
- Limes
- Cotija or Favorite Cheese
- Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips
- Daisy’s Sour Cream
What you need:
- Crock Pot
- Chicken Broth
- Pork Butt
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Paprika
- 2 Forks
- Glass Jar with Lid
- Cast Iron Pan (or satué pan)
- Cooking Oil (ex. Canola or vegetable)
- Spatula
The Crockpot
The first step in creating these delicious carnitas is to prep the dry rub. In a small dish, mix your salt, pepper, oregano, paprika and cumin. Next, take your pork butt and remove it from the packaging, wash it with cold water and dry with paper towels. Next evenly spread the spice rub all over the entire porkbutt. I would recommend pulling out a sheet pan to make sure you have room to make a mess, without getting raw meat all over your counters. Once your pork is seasoned up, add it to your crockpot, fatcap facing up. Finally, top with chicken broth and turn the crockpot on. High heat will take about 7 hours, but low heat will be closer to 12 hours. Now, you have plenty of time to go about your day and enjoy the intoxicating smells in your house.
Once your pork is ready (it will be fork tender), pull it out and into a casserole dish or another sheet pan. Using two forks, bear claws or your hands (careful it is hot), start shredding the pork. If you are not going to eat right away, go ahead and pack away for the fridge. Please, do NOT discard the leftover broth in the pot. Again, if you’re not going to eat the meat right away, transfer the broth to a glass jar (with lid) for safekeeping in the fridge.
The Fry
When you are ready to serve, you’ll want to grab your pan and turn up the heat to medium-high. Add the shredded pork to the pan in one layer. Although tempting, do not touch the pork, let it cook for a couple of minutes to create a crust on it. Once the pork becomes slightly crispy, flip it over and begin crisping the second side. After 1-2 minutes, add a couple of tablespoons of the pork broth that was leftover from the crockpot. If you had this in the refrigerator, you’ll see a layer of white fat that has risen to the top, simply spoon that out and discard and get down to the actual broth. If you are using the broth directly out of the crockpot, I would recommend skimming some of the fat off the top (you will see the oil “residue” on top). Don’t worry about getting it all.
Give your pork some time to take in that wonderful flavor from the broth and remove to a serving dish. Repeat this step until you have the correct amount of pork for you and your friends. Serve on tacos, taco salads, nachos, and more!
Make sure you top with your favorite ingredients. We usually set up a taco bar at our house, knowing that everyone can tolerate and enjoys different toppings. We always have lettuce, slaw, cheese, sour cream, avocado mash, tomatoes, salsa, hot sauce, pickled onions and jalapeños. I also like to serve lime zest rice on the side, as there are a few in our family that enjoy a base of rice in their taco.
If for some reason you can’t eat everything, this will keep in the fridge 3-4 days and then you can freeze (keeping the pork and broth separate).
Carnitas Tacos
Intolerances: Fructose, Gluten, Dairy, Soy
Serves: 18-24 tacos
Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 7hrs 5 minutes
3-4lb Pork Butt
1 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
2 ½ tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper
2 limes, juiced
Swanson’s Unsalted Chicken Stock (any chicken stock will do, but this is fructose free)
- Unwrap the pork butt, rinse it with cold water and dry with a paper towel. Place the pork butt on a sheet tray (or something similar).
- Mix oregano, cumin, paprika, kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl and spread over the pork butt. Make sure you get all sides.
- Put the pork butt in the crockpot, fat side up, and add chicken stock and lime juice. The chicken stock should come up to about ⅔ the way on the pork (roughly 2-3 cups). Cover and turn to low for 10 hours or high for 6-7 hours. The pork will be fork tender.
- Once the meat is done, remove it from the crockpot and place on a sheet pan or in a dish large enough to hold it. Reserve the stock (you can skim off some of the fat with a spoon if you would like). Use two forks and begin shredding the pork.
- Heat a cast iron pan (or sauté pan) to medium-high heat and add a layer of the pork. Do not touch and allow it to sauté for a few minutes. Flip the pork over and add 2 tablespoons of the reserved stock. Heat for an additional 3 minutes and remove from the pan. Continue this process with all of the meat.
Side Note: If you aren’t planning on eating all of the pork, only “fry” what you plan on eating and store the stock and pork separately. You’ll want to “fry” to order. Please note that the fat in the stock will rise to the top when you store it, this will make it easy to remove.
Side Note: If you prefer, you can broil the shredded pork for 3-5 minutes to get crisp and then add the liquid to the pork and broil for an additional 3-5 minutes.
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