Crock Pot Dr Pepper Carnitas

Here's an easy crock pot recipe that's pretty tasty on the day it's made...and then even better in subsequent days after the spices have had a chance to really marinate in the meat.  My family loves having these leftovers over tortilla chips with cheese ... they make amazing nachos!  ;)

Now that I'm back in the full-time workforce, I'm finding that I'm really getting into different ways of cooking with my crockpot.  Not only from a practicality standpoint, but also due to the quality of the meats when it's all said in done.  (Sooooo tender!)  I love putting a given recipe all together in the morning before I leave for work, and then coming home to a meal, one that's ready to go and has filled our house with the aroma of whatever's been cooking all day long. It's also an easy clean-up meal...one pot to clean, as opposed to multiple pots/pans and/or bowls such as when I create stove-top meals.

One thing I should mention, I've included a picture of the brand/type of spice packet I use in this recipe. I've found that I end up only needing and then using half the packet in a given recipe; I usually end up re-sealing the leftover spices with my Food Saver so that I can use it again for another meal later on.  However, this is subjective and if you feel like you want to use the entire package, that's totally at your discretion.  Regardless of how closely (or not) you follow this recipe, I hope you enjoy the finished product!  ;)

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Ingredients
One 3-4 lb package of pork butt or shoulder roast
1 medium to large white onion, thickly sliced
1 14-oz package frozen pepper strips
1 package of carnitas spices
8 oz (1 can) Dr Pepper

medium-sized tortillas (flour)
shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, Mexican blend, etc.)
shredded lettuce
fresh salsa
sour cream
lime wedges



Directions
Rub carnitas spices all over pork roast. If one side has more fat than the others, place that side up in crockpot. Place onions over meat, then pour Dr Pepper over all.

This is how it all looked at 7am, just before I added the sliced peppers and put the lid on.

Add pepper strips. Set crock pot on high and cook for a minimum of 6-8 hours.  Once meat is fork-tender, shred by pulling apart with a fork.  Serve over warmed tortillas with cheese, lettuce, salsa and/or sour cream; garnish with lime wedges, as desired.

This was the end result, after slow-cooking for 10 hours.
It was so tender, I could have separated the meat with my pinky fingers!

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GBAdams
03/06/2012

Crispy Fish Tacos

I can't believe I forgot to post this to my blog.  *facepalm*  This is a recipe that I came up with early last year (2011), and added as a note to my FB page.  Then late last summer I started up my blog...and I *thought* I had transferred all my recipes over.  Woops, I was wrong.  ;)

Here's a quick, easy and tasty variation on tacos.  I've had them both ways - crispy and grilled, and I really prefer the crispy preparation.  Perfect for a busy family any time of the year because it's so easy, but we like to have these in the summer because of the cool crema sauce & crisp cabbage. (Not to mention it's an easy Friday dinner during Lent!)

Modifications -- The soft flour tortillas can be substituted with crunchy corn taco shells, if that's how you roll.  If you do use corn shells, as well as use gluten-free fish sticks, then this can be a good dish for those needing that specific dietary modification.

Enjoy!

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Ingredients:
1 C Crema (Mexican cream, like Cacique)
⅓ C Mayonnaise
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp salt
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1 lime -- ½ squeezed for lime juice, ½ cut into wedges
24-32 Fish sticks (Gortons, Van de Kamps, etc., 3-4 per taco)
8 Soft Tacos (small or medium flour tortillas)
Medium or Hot Salsa (fresh is best, not in jars)
pre-cut cole slaw (shredded cabbage)
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Crema sauce
Combine crema, mayo, chili powder, cumin, honey, salt and lime juice in a bowl. Whisk until well-blended. Place in an air-tight container and refrigerate.

Tacos
Line cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Lay fish sticks out on pan, 3-4 per taco, depending on the size of the sticks.  Lightly sprinkle fish sticks with garlic powder.  Heat them up according to instructions on the package until they're very crispy. When sticks are nearly done, heat up tortillas: lay a damp paper towel on them and microwave for about a minute until warm. Assemble tacos with tortilla and fish sticks; garnish with cheese, salsa, crema sauce and shredded cabbage. If desired, squeeze a lime wedge over tacos. Enjoy!

Serves 4 -- 2 tacos per person. (If making for less than 4, leftover crema can be refrigerated and used up to a week after.)

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GBAdams
03/11/2011