Crispy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.
Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.
Serves: 6-8
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (4-5 pound) pork shoulder/pork butt trimmed of excess fat
1 lime, juiced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
1 cup chicken broth
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder*
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
*Grind dried chiles in a coffee or spice grinder till a fine powder.
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the pork and sear on each side until browned, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to a large slow cooker.
Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours or until the pork is tender. Remove the bay leaves.
Remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred. (Make sure to keep the liquid).
Transfer the shredded pork to a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or until crispy.
Remove from the oven and pour ¼ cup of the reserved juices from the slow cooker onto the crispy pork and toss.
Place the baking sheet back in the broiler for an additional 5 minutes or until the meat is crispy. Pour an additional ¼ cup liquid over the crispy pork and serve immediately.
The pork can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.