I first saw this recipe for Chipotle Lime Carnitas on Helen’s blog. It prompted me to buy a big ole pork loin!
They I started wondering … what exactly is a carnita? Is it just a shredded pork sandwich? Except in a tortilla instead of a bun?
According to Wikipedia:
Carnitas, literally “little meats”, is a type of braised or roasted (often after first being simmered) pork in Mexican cuisine. Pork carnitas is traditionally made using the heavily marbled, rich ‘boston butt‘ or ‘picnic ham‘ cuts of pork… The 6–16 lb (3–7 kg) sections are usually cut down to a workable (6–10 lb) size and seasoned heavily before slow braising or slow roasting, generally in the range of 160 to 180 °F for 8 to 12 hours…. Prior to serving, the pork, along with some of the rendered liquid, is placed in fairly shallow pans (to maximize surface area) and roasted at high (375 to 425 °F or 190 to 220 °C) heat for a few minutes to produce the desired alternating texture of succulent softness and caramelized crispness.
So, therefore, what I made I don’t think technically is a carnita, but according to my husband, it was darn good!
Pork Carnitas
Adapted from What’s Cookin Chicago?
Print this recipe!
3 lb boneless pork loin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 onion, peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 – 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp cumin
1 sprig fresh oregano
1 spring fresh thyme
To serve:
Tortillas, or chia pan bread
Chopped cilantro, jalapeno peppers, shredded cheese, lime slices, or additional toppings
Season the pork well with salt and pepper. Place in the crock pot. Add the onion, garlic and diced tomatoes – juice and all. Sprinkle the cumin on top of the tomatoes, and top with the sprig of oregano and thyme.
(Obviously that was before the oregano and thyme was put in!)
Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred the pork with a fork – mine just fell apart!
Serve with your choice of toppings – I had sliced jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and shredded cheese.
I also made my chia pan bread instead of tortillas – worked great!
I love this, because I am a condiment girl, and you can top these however you want!
But a touch of lime juice really made the flavors pop!
I don’t know if it is because these jalapeno peppers were so huge, but they were not hot at all! I ate an entire one by myself – and didn’t remove the seeds! I like spicy food, but sometimes (to me) jalapenos can be really hot!
Oh well – these might not be authentic, but they were really good!
This is linked to Inspire Me Monday.
We LOVE this pork and it has won it’s way into regular rotation in our house. You are the 5th person I know of who has made this since I posted that recipe!
haha, that is too funny!
Oh, I want/need these ASAP! Thanks for sharing—I will definitely put them on my list of things to make (with the chia pan bread that I’m already lusting after!).
Lisa recently posted..How do you end a great weekend? With peanut butter ice cream!
My non-meat eating daughter who normally won’t eat a pork chop, loves pork carniatas at a place called Pacos Tacos in Chicago – they of course are topped with chopped onions which she loves and will never find in my house!
Happy Monday!
Biz recently posted..BSI – Breakfast Winner!
Looks like a great recipe, with plenty of room to tweak it to personalize it too. I will give it a whirl.
Rhonda recently posted..Roasted Vegetable Salad
For sure! The original recipe had chipotle in adobo, but I couldn’t find that so, I decided on the tame version to keep my hubby happy
Whatever technically it is, the fact is it looks good! Yummy! What is that yellow pepper?
http://www.cowboycountryvegetarian.blogspot.com
it is just a yellow jalapeno! There were in my store so I decided to give it a whirl! Tasted just like the green version!
I like pork! And who cares if it is authentic if you think it is really good. That’s what really matters – taste!
Lori recently posted..Rainy days are good for puzzles and pizza.
Thanks Lori! I love pork too … I was raised on a pig farm, so we always had pork! (and that fact did not make me a vegetarian)
This looks FABULOUS! Thanks for sharing this recipe at Inspire Me Monday at Create With Joy! We love pork too and may soon become the 6th family to try Helen’s fabulous recipe!
Create With Joy recently posted..Inspire Me Monday – Week 12
Thank you! If you check out the original recipe, it had chipotle in adobo in it, but I decided on the tame version
I love how pork is so versatile like that!
I don’t even like pork, and you make this look delicious! You are amazing girl! How is bootcamp going?
Brittany (Delights and Delectables) recently posted..Mini Vaca Part II
haha, I was going to say – I didn’t think you ate meat! lol! Bootcamp is going good, thanks for asking! I keep meaning to update on it… Last night it was HARD to get the motivation to do the workout, but I did it, yay! I can definitely see some muscle definition, and I feel stronger, so that is good!
It doesn’t matter how it is “technically” called, as long as the tribe likes it
Eleni Poulakou recently posted..Poet Cavafy, King Darius and Poetic Inspiration
Thank you! Yes, I would say the tribe approved!