It is my personal belief that if you heat up an oven or a crock pot, then you should try to get at least two meals out of it. Pork is a lean and fairly inexpensive way to feed a family, especially if you’ve got a good-sized piece of meat. This recipe utilizes only half the meat. Use the other half for a BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich served with Coleslaw.
You can throw this into your crock pot before you leave for work and it will be ready 8–9 hours later. Or if you are away from the house longer than 9 hours, start this in the evening, (8–9 hours prior to waking up). Once you get up, pull the meat from the crock pot, shred it with forks (which takes less than 5 minutes), then take your shower and get ready for work. By the time you’re dressed, the meat will be cool and you can put it in the fridge for dinner that night.
Prep time: 15 minutes, divided
Total time: 9 hours, 15 minutes
Yield: around 2 1/2 pounds shredded pork
Special equipment: slow cooker (crock pot)
For pork:
1 3-lb boneless pork loin
1/4 c. water
- Put all ingredients into crock pot on low. Cook for 8–9 hours until fork tender. Remove and shred with forks and set aside.
For tacos:
8 corn tortillas
2 tsp. vegetable oil
2 c. shredded pork
1 c. salsa, divided
splash of water
shredded cabbage
slices of avocado
slices of lime
- Heat oil in skillet until hot. Add pork, 3 T salsa and a squeeze from half a lime. Cook until heated through. Set aside.
- Heat corn tortillas directly over the cook top flame or wrapped in a towel in the microwave for a minute or so.
- Fill tortillas with carnitas meat, topping with cabbage, more salsa and avocado. Serve immediately.
- If you like a more piquant sauce, thin Tartar Sauce with some salsa and pour over tacos.
My husband has recently discovered that he has a nightshade allergies. We know that potatoes are the biggest problem for him, but we suspect that tomatoes and peppers also. We need to make some serious diet/lifestyle changes. The only recipes I know how to make contain night shades — scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes and meats, spaghetti, pizza, Mexican foods, chili etc…how do I prepare nutritious meals if we can no longer use potatoes, tomatoes and peppers (and this would include chili spices or paprika)?
Shelley,
This is a really big change to make in your life. It makes going out to eat particularly difficult because paprika is an ingredient is most prepared foods, believe it or not — from soup to stews to most prepared ethnic foods. If you look on the right side of my website, go down until you see the tag-line “Recipe by Ingredient”. There you will find a “no-nightshade” category. Click on it, and all my recipes without nightshades will list. Items like yams and sweet potatoes will be your friend, as will garlic, ginger and fresh herbs like cilantro and cumin. It will be an adjustment at first, but the good news is, the palate is very fluid and will adapt. Sushi is a great option for eating out, as is some mediterranean cuisine, but you have to make inquiries. Beware of prepared soup stocks — I’ve yet to find a good one that is sans paprika (making your own is actually not that big of a deal. I actually have a pot going right now as I am responding to you). Let me know how you’re doing — it’s a big adjustment, but your husband will feel so much better! Best of luck Shelley!