Pork Carnitas!

Whenever I wanted GOOOOOOD pork carnitas tacos I felt like I had to go out--- NOT ANYMORE!!! As I said in the corned beef entry, I was going to make good use of my crockpot. Weeellllllll... I went to Stater Bros. (who have the best priced meat!) and picked up a pound of pork shoulder strips (99 cents a pound baby!). So I rub them with pressed garlic and then plopped them into the crockpot with about a cup of salsa(my homemade "Holl-sa", my friend dubbed it). I turned the crockpot on high for two hours and then switched it to low for another two hours. Then I removed the pork, shredded it, and PRESTO- I had pork carnitas!

This was so incredibly easy it made me feel stupid for not making it before. The meat turned out juicy and tender and now I am so excited to experiment a bit with flavors (and different types of meat!). This recipe was made to be played with, so play with it, adding spice and flavors that suit you. Also, try different meats as well, as most would work, just remember that tough meat needs to cook long and slow to come out tender.

Even though the pork turned out great, next time I am going to cook it on low the whole time, and just let it cook longer. The key to making the meat great is allowing it to cook slowly and allow the flavors you are cooking with to slowly marinate the meat.

This recipe discovery really excites me (and the husband) because on those days where I could be working late, I know that all I need is about 5 minutes in the morning before work to get this going, and then it will be all ready by the time I get home (obviously just make sure to keep it on low when cooking for this long... it would be such a bummer to come home tired to dry, icky meat!).

Pull out your crockpot and EAT UP! Keep on cookin' cupcakes!