Pork Carnitas

Source: Lemon Blossoms

4 lb pork roast
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 onion , chopped
1 jalapeno , deseeded, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup juice from orange (2 oranges)

1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil

Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.
Combine oregano, cumin and olive oil in small bowl. Rub all over the pork.

Slow Cooker:  Place pork in the slow cooker (fat up). Top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.
Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Freeze or crisp (see below) before serving.
OR, cook in oven: Put pork in roasting pan. Top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.
Add 2 cups water around pork. Cover tightly with foil, roast in 325F oven for 2 hours. If you are freezing the meat, you can take it out now. If you are having it for dinner, crisp by roasting for an additional 1 to 1 1/2 hours uncovered. Add more water if the liquid dries out too much. You should end up with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of liquid when it finishes cooking.

FOR FREEZER MEAL:
The best way to store is to freeze the pork at this point. Keep pork and juice separate, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months (for freezer, put pork in gallon freezer bags and put juice in a separate quart ziplock bag and then put in the same large bag as the pork).
When ready to use, thaw bags and gently  reheat juice to make it pourable (congeals when cold). Pan fry as below, drizzling with juice.

TO CRISP:
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits.
Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) - don't crowd the pan.
If you used the oven method, you can skip the pan frying because you will get a nice brown crust on your pork.

Serving: For either method,  before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot, stuffed in tacos. Diced avocado or make a real proper Guacamole, Pico de Gallo or Restaurant Style Salsa or even just sliced tomato, grated cheese, sour cream. Sliced lettuce or pickled cabbage / red onions would also be great.


To serve at varying times, brown pork a few hours ahead / keep warm by transfering to slow cooker on warm setting or food warmer and drizzle generously with juices to keep it moist. Cover loosely. As long as the pork is warm when served, it's really juicy. The
crispiness holds up extremely well.

Source: Lemon Blossoms

Total Cost: $14.34
4 lb pork roast $2.79 per pound = $11.12
2 1/2 tsp salt .06¢
1 tsp black pepper .05¢
1 onion, chopped .67¢
1 jalapeno, deseeded, chopped 11¢
4 cloves garlic, minced .32¢
2 oranges $1.39
1 tbsp dried oregano .30¢
2 tsp ground cumin .20¢
1 tbsp olive oil .12¢