I love love love carnitas. For those of you that are unfamiliar carnitas means "little meats. It is a type of braised or roasted meat. You most often have it in burritos, tacos, on anything really. I have been trying different variations of carnitas and my belly is enjoying it so much. I did a basic preparation for my previous carnitas post. For this version I wanted to go with a smokey spicy flavor so I bought a can of chipotle peppers in adobo ( usually found in the international aisle.)
These are basically smoked jalapenos canned in a sauce of yummy things like tomato puree, vinegar and spices. It adds a really delicious spice and depth of flavor. Don't like spice? No problem! You can omit the chipotle. I used my crock pot to make the carnitas, which I think is the easiest preparation. You can flavor them with anything, just making sure that you put enough liquid so the meat doesn't dry out or burn (yes it has happened to me before.) I used this recipe for my inspiration, but basically did my own thing. I love the idea of the meat being spicy and tangy and the creamy melted cheese make a great combination. To make things even better I pureed my BBQ sauce with a chipotle pepper for an extra kick. Feel free to make your own or use store bought.
Tip Alert:Might I add, my new favorite way to use corn tortillas as taco shells without frying them is to put them in the oven racks to form a taco shell. Don't worry, they will not fall right away. I put them on broil (LO) and after 2-4 minutes they are crispy and in the shape of a fried taco shell!
Ingredients:
3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 bottle favorite beer ( I used a Amber)
1 cup beef stock
3 chipotle peppers in adobo ( dump sauce in can in too)
1/4 cup Lime Juice
4 cloves garlic ( whole,crushed)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
Directions:
1. Place the pork in a large dutch oven or crock pot with the beer( or orange juice,apple cider etc), lime juice, garlic, cumin and salt and peppers and stock. Put on low for 6 hours.
2. Once the pork is browned on both sides, it’s ready to eat.Shred with 2 forks and add to tortilla
3. Top with brie and toppings of your choice and serve!
Leanne! I feel terrible! I haven't checked out your blog in so long, and you have so many tasty looking recipes! I can't believe I missed so much! This is a taco for the elite. I love all the ingredients inside! I'll definitely be considering this next time I make them!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to give this a try. It never would have occurred to me to put brie together with tacos.
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