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

Basic Filipino Marinade (Germ's Style)

The finished product how we normally have it -- grilled, on a bed of lettuce & a warm pita.

After I was married and was seriously cooking for a household, I tried to replicate the marinade for the BBQ kebobs I loved so much from family picnics, but was never successful.  One time at a gathering at his family's house, my beloved late uncle, Papa Jess, told me the secret to the Filipino marinade: 7-Up.  I nearly fell over, I was so shocked.  I think I actually said to him, "Get OUTTA here!"  Sure enough, the next time I made the marinade, it was perfect. It was like the puzzle was finally complete.  So here is my version of the marinade, tweaked over the years til I got it how I liked it.  I hope you enjoy it, too.  :)

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Ingredients:
1 C Soy Sauce (full sodium works best because it will get diluted with the other liquids that are added)
3-4 Cloves minced garlic OR 2 Tbsp Garlic powder
½ C Brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp Ground ginger
½ C Rice vinegar
1 can 7-Up

Blend well before adding it to meats.  For best results, pour over the meat and refrigerate in an air-tight container for at least a day or more before grilling.  (I like to go 3-4 days to ensure the meat REALLY gets infused with the flavor.)

Can be used on pork, chicken or beef.  I prefer marinating srips of pork with some slight marbling within; if you choose meats that are extremely lean, they will come out tough and chewy.  I recently experimented with strips of chuck steak and they were INCREDIBLE.

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Strips of beef in the marinade, Day One:

This is what the same meat looks like right out of the fridge, 4 days later:

Grilling on a screen designed for small meats & veggies.  Keeps 'em from falling through the grates.  :)

...and some grilled onions:

Normally I put the meat & veggies on a pita bread, but saw the flatbread package in the store and decided to try that.  MUCH better - it's thinner than a pita, so it doesn't fill you up as easily.

The finished product.  (Meat can also be skewered onto wooden sticks for kebabs/yakitori-type grilling.  That's how they're usually presented, FIlipino-style.)  Yum!  :)

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GBAdams
09/14/11

Mexican-Asian Fusion Shredded Pork Tacos

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs pork tenderloin or shoulder
1 C hot water
1 C brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 C soy sauce
⅓ C rice vinegar
¼ C lime juice
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp Chinese Five Spice
1 tsp white pepper
1 Tbsp coarse ground black pepper
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder (or more if you like spicy foods)
1 Tbsp  crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp chopped or sliced fresh garlic (optional)
Medium flour tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Sour Cream (optional)
chopped green onions (optional)
diced tomatoes (also optional)

Marinade:
Combine hot water with brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add Worcestershire and soy sauces, rice vinegar, lime juice and stir. Add dry ingredients (and fresh garlic, if desired) and stir until mixed well.  In an airtight container, pour over pork, seal and refrigerate minimum of 3 hours. For best results, marinate pork overnight, turning at least once so all of the pork has a chance to be submerged in the marinade at some point.

Braise:
Pre-heat oven to 350. In a deep casserole or other baking dish with high sides, place pork.  Add enough marinade so that the liquid is about 1 inch deep...this will be the liquid the pork will braise in.  Cover dish with foil and place in oven.  Bake for a minimum of 2 hours, up to 3 for larger cuts of meat.

Take dish out of the oven; meat should be fork-tender, or fall-off-the-bone tender. Let pork rest for 10 minutes.  Place pork on chopping board, and with 2 forks, pull apart the meat so that it becomes "shredded."  Place in a serving dish or bowl. Take some of the marinade/braising liquid, about 1/4-1/3 cup, and add to the shredded pork so it doesn't dry out.  Cover and set aside.

Assemble:
Place a damp cloth or paper towel on top of a few tortillas on a plate and microwave for about 30-60 seconds or until warm. Take a tortilla, add lettuce, some of the shredded pork, green onions, sour cream and tomatoes.  Enjoy!

Makes about 8-12 tacos; serves approximately 4-6 people.

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GBAdams
05/18/11

Nomalicious BBQ Ribs

There are many ways to approach making ribs.  I've seen them done many ways...one of my favorites is char siu, or Chinese-style.  Another is a traditional sweet-style (Memphis?) baby back type of rib.  So when I set out to make ribs for the first time, I thought I'd combine my favorites.  This is the result -- best of both worlds.  You can use this rub in conjunction with my BBQ Sauce recipe, or you can use it with any store-bought sauce you prefer.  It works well equally with both, I've found.  :)

The key for these ribs is low & slow.  They can then be finished on the grill, or set under an oven broiler.  Hope you enjoy.  ;)

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Ingredients:
Half to whole slab of pork ribs (baby back, St. Louis-style, etc.), "silver" removed
1 C   Brown sugar

1Tbsp Garlic powder

1Tbsp Onion powder

2Tbsp Paprika

1Tbsp Kosher salt

1tsp    White pepper

1tsp    Chili pepper

Prep:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients until well-blended. Rub generous amounts of mix into both sides of ribs – underneath and on top. Be sure to cover the entire slab.  Place in wide, shallow pan.  (Do not use a flat cookie sheet!)  

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in preheated oven.  Do not check on ribs during the baking time – keep foil tightly sealed.  Let ribs roast in the oven for a minimum of 2 hours.  (2-2½ hours for 1 slab, 2½-3 hours for 2 slabs.)  Remove from oven. 

Place ribs on a heated grill, using indirect heat, for 10 minutes.  Apply BBQ sauce to the ribs, first on the underside, grill for 5-7 minutes, then flip and apply BBQ sauce to the top. 

Remove after 5-7 minutes and serve.

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GBAdams
05/30/2009