Pork Carnitas

This is a great dish for a big group. Leftovers freeze wonderfully and make excellent enchiladas.

Ingredients:
1 bone-in pork shoulder roast (about 5.5lbs)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 orange with rind on, quartered
1 lime with rind on, quartered
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
corn or flour tortillas


How To:
1. Trim the fat from the pork and cut the meat into two pieces
2. Place all the ingredients except the tortillas in a slow cooker
3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. The meat should pull apart easily when it is done
4. Let the meat cool slightly, then remove from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon
5. Shred the meat using two forks and stir in a few spoonfuls of the liquid for the slow cooker
6. Taste the meat and add salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime if needed
7. Place meat in warm tortillas and top with whatever you'd like (cilantro, lime, avocado, cheese, lettuce, salsa etc.)

Shredded Beef Tacos

If you have ever had the barbacoa beef burritos from Chipotle and like them, you are going to love these. They are super easy to make and cost effective.



Ingredients:

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds beef stew meat (remove excess fat)- At Costco you can buy 6 pounds of stew meat for about $18.00 and it's good quality
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce minced (more if you like some kick)
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Flour tortillas
Favorite taco toppings-- lime, cilantro, tomato, onion, cheese, corn, rice etc.


How To:
Mix together the chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika in a small bowl.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and the add the stew meat.

Coat the meat with spices and brown on all sides for a few minutes. Remove the meat from the pan, while leaving the juices, and place the meat in the bottom of a slow cooker.

Add the onions, beef broth, garlic, tomato paste and minced chipotle to the pan and stir. Bring it to a boil and let it thicken a bit. This should only take a few minutes.

Pour the pan mixture into the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low from 6-8 hours.

After the meat is done, shred it with 2 forks. Place the meat in a tortilla with whatever fixings you want and enjoy! We put rice and corn in our tacos.

Before storing the meat, pour a bit of the juice on top of the meat to keep it moist.

I used the meat to make enchiladas. It would also be good in eggs, burritos or whatever creative thing you want to make.