Deconstructed Pulled Pork Carnitas Plates
Pork yields about 12 servings. This recipe makes about 4 – 6 plates.
Prep time: 15 – 20 minutes
Cook time: 6 – 8 hours (for the pork) and 15 minutes (vegetables)
Ingredients:
For the pork: ***
- 1 5 pound pork shoulder
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 1 habanero, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (or a Mexican spice blend)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the blistered peppers:
- 2 large bell peppers, seeded and sliced
- 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the plates:
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 1 can diced chilis, drained
- 2 large sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed with a dash of salt & pepper
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 2 avocados, seeded and diced
- 1 serving cilantro lime rice
- Cilantro
Directions:
- To make the pork, rub the oil all over the shoulder. Liberally coat the entire pork shoulder in Mexican spices. In the basin of the slow cooker, mix the red onion, garlic, jalapeño, habanero, orange juice and water together. Place the pork shoulder (fat side down) into the crock pot. Cook on low for about 8 – 9 hours, or until meat is tender (it will fall off the bone when you try to shred it with two forks). Reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid and skim the fat off the top.
- Remove the meat from the crock pot and place on a large cutting board. Using two forks, shred the meat. To serve, heat the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 of the meat and drizzle with juice. Heat for about 2 – 4 minutes or until slightly crispy. Repeat until all the meat is cooked.
- For the peppers, preheat the broiler. Place the peppers on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Broil for about 10 minutes, turning after 5, or until the skin are blistered (they’ll appear blackened in spots). Remove from heat.
- To make the plates, divide the pork, cherry tomatoes, blistered peppers, sweet potatoes, onion, avocado, cilantro and rice. Serve with your favorite taco seasoning, hot sauce or just a dash of salt and pepper!
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 610
Fat: 22 grams
Carbohydrates: 45 grams
Fiber: 4.2 grams
Protein: 29 grams