Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

Mexican is up there with one of my favorite types of food to eat. And like most people I am a sucker for Chipotle, even though it is awful for you. This is a spin on their pork carnitas that we made into tacos. It is packed full of flavor and can be made spicier or more mild depending on how many peppers and how much seasoning you add. I had never used adobo seasoning before, which comes from the Spanish word meaning "to marinate" and is rich in flavor and spice but not hot. This recipe was definitely a keeper, but it does require you to brown the meat before putting it in the crock pot, something I normally feel defeats the purpose of the ease of a crock pot recipe, but in this case took about 10 minutes and adds more flavor so don't skip the step.

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)
Source: Skinnytaste
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 4 oz (1/2 cup)
Calories: 176 • Fat: 7.7g  Protein: 25.8 g  Carb: 1.3 g  Fiber: 0.1 g

Ingredients: 

2.5 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
4 cloves garlic, cut into sliver
1 tsp cumin
dry adobo seasoning (I used Goya)
1 tsp powder
3/4 cup 99% fat free chicken broth
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (to taste)
2 bay leaves

Directions:
Season pork with salt and pepper. In a medium sauté pan on medium-high heat, brown pork on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Using a sharp knife, insert blade into pork, cutting small holes and insert garlic slivers. Season pork generously with cumin, adobo and garlic powder all over.

Pour chicken broth in the crock-pot, add bay leaves and chipotle peppers. Place pork in crock pot and cover. Cook low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices that accumulated at the bottom. Remove bay leaves and adjust salt and cumin (you will probably need to add more). Let it cook another 15-30 minutes.