Slow Cooked Carnitas Tacos

There are few things in this World that can beat coming home to a delicious Home-Cooked meal (especially one that wasn’t hard to make or clean up after.) Having the sense to pre plan out a few meals during the week will enable you to spend some time doing something else that either needs to be done in your life or around your home. 

These slow cooked Carnitas Tacos are always a hit, simply because they cook themselves over 5 or 6 hours in a Crock pot or Dutch oven. Putting them up before you head out for work is a great idea, just make sure that your not going to be gone too long (if over 6 hours, try lowering the heat a tad bit to avoid burning the tender meat to a crisp.)

The Carnitas can be used to fill up tacos, burritos on a tostada, on nachos or even rolled up and fried into flautas, the possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!!!

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Slow Cooked Carnitas Tacos

Ingredients

3 whole ancho chiles

3 whole pasilla chiles

4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

2 to 3 chipotles in adobo sauce

½ medium white onion, roughly chopped

3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

2 TBS honey

1 TBS cider vinegar

Kosher salt

2 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican

3 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth

4 lbs boneless pork shoulder (untrimmed), cut into chunks

Freshly ground pepper

2 bay leaves

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp ground cumin

1 cinnamon stick

Corn tortillas, warmed, for serving

Assorted taco toppings, for garnish (Avocado, Cilatnro & Onion, Diced Mango, Pico de Gallo…)

Directions:

Put the ancho and pasilla chiles and the garlic in a bowl; add 2 to 3 tablespoons water. Microwave on high until soft and pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Stem and seed the chiles; peel the garlic.

Transfer the chiles and garlic to a blender.

Add the chipotles, onion, 2 TBS olive oil, honey, vinegar, 1 TBS salt, paprika, cumin and the oregano to the blender; puree until smooth.

Heat the remaining 1 TBS oil in a large skillet over high heat; add the chile sauce and fry, stirring, until thick and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

Pour in the broth and reduce until slightly thickened.

Season the pork all over with salt and pepper and transfer to a large slow cooker.

Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, then pour in the sauce.

Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 5 hours (Or cook the meat in a large Dutch oven, covered, for 2 hours at 350 degrees; uncover and cook 30 more minutes.)

Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick.

Shred the pork with 2 forks; season with salt and pepper.

Serve the shredded pork in the tortillas, along with toppings.

This should feed around 8 people.