The way that these carnitas came about was kind of a fluke. I had put the roast in the crockpot thinking I’d serve it over mashed potatoes, but once it was done and shredded it had more of citrusy flavor rather than a homey flavor if you get my drift. So with a citrus flavor, I think the pulled pork DESERVED to become carnitas! The point here is that sometimes recipes don’t pan out the way we thought they would so you adjust– and that’s okay.

I updated the below recipe so exclude some ingredients I used when it was originally going to be paired with mashed potatoes.

Carnitas

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 8 hours (including crockpot time) | Cook time: 8 hours and 10 minutes

Ingredients

Pork rub

• 1 lb pork shoulder
• salt
• 2 tsp cumin
• 3 tbs minced garlic
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp coriander
• 2 tsp ground ginger

Pork marinade

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs mustard
• 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 beef broth
• 2 tbs brown sugar

Other ingredients

• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 cup taco seasoning
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 of an orange, juiced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 radish, diced
• shredded lettuce
• 8 tostada shells

Recipe

• Mix rub ingredients into one small bowl and dab it onto the pork shoulder making sure to coat the whole thing.
• Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the crockpot and set the pork with rub into the pot.
• Mix the pork marinade in a cup and pour it over the pork. Put the lid on and set it on low for 7 hours.
• Once the 7 hours are up, take the pork out and shred it using two forks.
• In a skillet, add 1 tbs of oil and then add the shredded pork to the skillet.
• Once it starts to sizzle, add in taco seasoning, water, orange juice, lime juice, cumin and garlic. Stir, stir, stir!
• Let this cook until the ends get a little dark and crispy.
• Set the tostadas out, spread sour cream over each tostada, add pork, sprinkle with cheese, radish and lettuce.
• ENJOY!

XO, Rachel