SIMPLY DELICIOUS CARNITAS
Besides grilling in the summer, making tacos is my other favorite summer dinner. There’s just something about meat topped with spicy salsa, crunchy cabbage salad, cheese, cilantro and drizzled with fresh lime juice that never gets old. All the different flavors seem to mesh perfectly in your mouth.
Tacos can be an incredibly healthy, satisfying meal for the whole family. Limit the cheese and sour cream and instead load it with salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cabbage, avocado or guacamole. All these flavors will hopefully make you forget that it isn’t loaded with two feet of cheese and sour cream, or use in moderation otherwise it will drown out all the other delicious flavors of summer.
This version of carnitas is easy to make, throw everything together in a dutch oven and roast for a couple hours. Slow roast it in the crock pot on low all day or do as I did and roast it in a cast iron dutch oven. I used a pork butt roast and left the bone and fat on while it was roasting, this gives the meat even more flavor. This recipe calls for a 2 lb roast but of course you could double the recipe for a bigger crowd.
I hope you enjoy my flavorful, spicy version of carnitas. CHEERS TO A HAPPY & HEALTHY DAY!
SIMPLY DELICIOUS CARNITAS
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Pork Butt Roast with bone and fat or boneless
- 1 TBSP Fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1/3 Cup Orange Juice Freshly squeezed
- 2 tsp Chipotle pepper adobo sauce
- 2 TBSP Lime Juice Freshly Squeezed
- 2 Garlic cloves Minced
- 2 Cups Water
- 6-Inch Corn or Flour Tortillas
Instructions
- Pat roast dry with paper towel, liberally rub both sides with salt and pepper. Place meat in cast iron dutch oven and sear meat till it's well browned on both sides.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the cast iron pan: 2 Cups water, the rest of the spices, orange juice, orange wedges, lime juice and bay leaves. Bring fluids to boil, cover with lid and roast at 300 degrees for 2 hours or until meat falls apart when pierced with a fork.
- Once the pork is fully roasted. I removed it from the dutch oven to take out the bone and cut off all of the fat. Shred it into small pieces using a fork & knife. If you let it cool for a few minutes it's easier to just use your hands to pull the pork into small pieces. Throw out the orange wedges and bay leaves. Add the pork back to the dutch oven and mix into the remaining juices. Place back in oven for about 5 minutes to reheat the pork. Serve immediately with tortillas and your favorite toppings, See below for ideas.
Notes
