Easy Carnitas with Caramelized Onions and Chipotle
This easy Carnitas Recipe can be made stovetop or in the crockpot! This is the most flavorful carnitas recipe I've ever tried and the pork is incredibly tender! I recommend marinating the pork overnight for best results. Serve with warm flour tortillas and guacamole!
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Chopped Fresh Oregano
- 1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 1/2 lb Boneless Boston Butt Pork Roast (trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- 2 Cups Chopped Onion
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Chopped Chipotle Chile, canned in adobo sauce (
) - 16 Ounces Chicken Stock
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 2 tsp Freshly squeezed lime juice
- Guacamole (see recipe below)
Instructions
- Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large zip-loc plastic bag; seal and shake to coat the pork. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
- Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove the pork from the bag and add to pot. Cook 10 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add onion and garlic to pot; saute 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add salt, cumin and chile. Return pork to pan and add broth. Bring to a simmer; cover. Cook 2 hours or until pork is very tender.
- Discard bay leaves and continue cooking uncovered until most of the remaining liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a fork, shred the pork. Stir in cilantro and lime juice.
- For the Guacamole: combine 3 ripe avocados, about 1/4 cup diced red onion, half a jalapeño, diced, about 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, and juice of half a lime in a small bowl. Mash ingredients together with a fork. Salt and pepper to taste and add lime juice as needed.
Cook's Notes
ALTERNATE PREPARATION:
This recipe may be made in a crockpot!
Simply complete steps 1-3 then cook for 8 hours on low.
Once finished cooking, shred meat with two forks directly in the slow cooker (or take out, shred, and replace in sauce). It should fall apart easily.
Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the shredded meat on the cooking sheet and pour a few spoonfuls of sauce over the top.
Broil for 5-10 minutes or until you get browned edges on the pork.
