Hola! Wow, it has
been such a long time since I shared anything with you – longer than I even realized. Like a lot of you I have a lot of balls to
juggle – I have a full-time, traditional job plus a home-based online retail
business on top of all the usual friends, family, pets, etc. Recently, my interest in Tabletop Role
Playing Games has been re-ignited - it’s become an obsession, really, and has
consumed even more of my already dwindling free time. Along with playing RPG’s, however, also comes tasty
food. There is something about playing
that just fuels the appetite and my gaming group and I have been eating well,
indeed. One of my fellow players is also
a fellow food blogger and I think really has us both raising the stakes in food
preparation for our game days which brings us to the lovely Pork Carnitas
recipe I made just last Saturday for my gaming group. The recipe was easy to prepare and the pork
was absolutely fall-apart tender and juicy as well as flavorful.
I found this recipe for Pork Carnitas and made
only a few changes – mostly in cooking method (after all, this is ME we are
talking about). One of my gaming
companions is a bigger wimp than I am when it comes to hot spices so I left out
the jalapenos. In the future, if I leave
these out, I will substitute for green chilies instead, just to add another layer
of flavor.
To start with, I picked up a 5 pound pork shoulder from the
local butcher shop and had them cut it into 2 inch cubes. Prior to preparing the pork for cooking, I
let it sit out about 20 minutes at room temperature. While my cast iron skillet was preheating I
seasoned the pork cubes with salt & pepper (do not skimp on this
step!). In a large bowl, I mixed
together the oregano, cumin and olive oil, then I tossed the seasoned pork in
the mixture and made sure it was all well-coated. I seared the pork in small batches, being
sure that the largest surfaces were nicely browned before removing them from
the skillet. I placed them right in the
crock of my slow cooker and just kept searing in small batches until it was all
browned. Next, I put the onions, garlic
and juice from one of the oranges in the still-hot skillet and just cooked them
until softened and until all the nice, browned bits came loose from the pan,
then I poured it all on top of the seared pork.
To this mixture, I added the juice of the last orange, placed the lid on
the crock, put the crock back into the slow cooker base and turned it on low
and pretty much left it to itself for the rest of the day.
Until next time – hasta luego!
Ingredients
4-5 lb Pork Shoulder, boneless, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, chopped
1 1/4 tbls salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 oranges, juice only
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp EVOO
Set pork out at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat skillet at medium high heat. Season cubed pork with the salt and pepper. In a large bowl (or zip-close bag) combine oregano, cumin and EVOO. Add pork and toss to coat. Place cubes of pork in pre-heated skillet in small batches (so they are not touching each other) and cook until seared on all sides. Remove from skillet and place in crock pot or dutch oven. Repeat steps until all the pork is browned. Add onion and garlic to skillet, stirring to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, add the juice of one of the oranges. Cook just until the onions and garlic soften a bit and the juice reduces slightly. Pour over the contents of the crock pot. Squeeze the juice of the remaining orange over the pork mixture.
Put the lid on the crock pot and turn on to low heat. Allow Carnitas to cook for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally.
When you're ready to serve, remove pork from the crock pot using a slotted spoon. Use a couple forks to shred the pork (it won't take much effort). Skim the fat from the juices, discarding the fat. At this point, you can reduce it, if you'd like. Pour it over the shredded pork and serve with your favorite taco toppings or burrito fillings and/or rice and beans. Delicioso!
Ingredients
4-5 lb Pork Shoulder, boneless, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, chopped
1 1/4 tbls salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 oranges, juice only
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp EVOO
Set pork out at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat skillet at medium high heat. Season cubed pork with the salt and pepper. In a large bowl (or zip-close bag) combine oregano, cumin and EVOO. Add pork and toss to coat. Place cubes of pork in pre-heated skillet in small batches (so they are not touching each other) and cook until seared on all sides. Remove from skillet and place in crock pot or dutch oven. Repeat steps until all the pork is browned. Add onion and garlic to skillet, stirring to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, add the juice of one of the oranges. Cook just until the onions and garlic soften a bit and the juice reduces slightly. Pour over the contents of the crock pot. Squeeze the juice of the remaining orange over the pork mixture.
Put the lid on the crock pot and turn on to low heat. Allow Carnitas to cook for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally.
When you're ready to serve, remove pork from the crock pot using a slotted spoon. Use a couple forks to shred the pork (it won't take much effort). Skim the fat from the juices, discarding the fat. At this point, you can reduce it, if you'd like. Pour it over the shredded pork and serve with your favorite taco toppings or burrito fillings and/or rice and beans. Delicioso!
