What's Cooking Wednesday: Pulled Pork Carnitas

A couple months ago Chris and I ate at a Mexican chain restaurant called Sol. We tried the carnitas (pulled pork) street tacos - and we were hooked. We've gone almost once a week since and we can't get enough. Side note - I always also get the top shelf margarita and it's muy deliciosa.

Staying on topic. I decided I wanted to give street taco carnitas a try here at home. So I started reading through a few different recipes to get a general idea of how the pork is cooked and seasoned. After a while I landed on one that I felt would be a good place to start.

The recipe is from Isabel Eats. I used this recipe for the slow cooker pork - I had about two and half pounds of pork, diced it into fourths, and trimmed most of the fat. I used all the spices she listed, but measured them in the palm of my hand - because who has time for measuring spoons!

The meat cooked on high for about four hours and turned out perfectly seasoned and tender. And talking about it right now makes me want to grab it out of the fridge and eat it for breakfast.

Once the meat was done, I friend up some corn tortillas. Any time I make tacos at home I always fry the flour tortillas in a little oil - it makes them crispy, brings out a little extra flavor, and makes the tortilla just durable enough that they don't fall apart or absorb too much juice/liquid and get soggy. Once you try it, you'll always do it.

So let's talk about what goes on these carnitas. 

I bought a bag of pre-shredded cabbage that most people would use to make slaw. I tossed the shredded cabbage with lime juice, cilantro, and a little salt/pepper. I did this before hand so it could all marinate.

I also bought some store-made fresh pico de gallo.

Chopped fresh cilantro.

Diced white onions.

Store-bought verde sauce.

Fresh lime wedges.


Once the meat was done and shredded and the corn tortillas were fried, we assembled, added the toppings, and chowed down! They were a hit with the first bite. Seriously, these are so good and, dare I say, restaurant worthy.  If you like carnitas or you've been wanting to try a recipe at home - try this one!