Dump Meals

Pork Freezer bag

Carnitas

dumpmeals.com/recipes/carnitas/

Pork shoulder cooked with orange, lime, cumin and oregano, shredded, and crisped under the broiler.

Serves
10
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
Low 8 to 10 hours, or high 4 to 5 hours
Slow cooker
4-quart

Carnitas is pork cooked until it falls apart, then browned at the edges so there are soft and crisp bits in the same bite. Orange juice, lime juice, cumin, oregano and garlic season the meat. Onion goes underneath to hold the pork up out of the juice.

Once the pork is shredded, spread it on a baking sheet with a few spoonfuls of the juice and broil it for 5 minutes to crisp the tips. Serve in warm corn or flour tortillas with chopped onion, cilantro and lime wedges. It is also good over rice with black beans.

Make tacos with warm tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Or serve over rice with black beans. Because the pork is crisped last, it also reheats well in a skillet, in a thin layer.

Ingredients

Into the slow cooker

  • 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup chicken broth

To serve

  • flour tortillas, for serving
  • fresh cilantro, for serving

Directions

  1. If your meat is frozen, thaw it completely in the refrigerator first. Never put frozen meat in the slow cooker.
  2. Cut the pork into 2-inch chunks. Rub with the cumin, oregano and salt.
  3. Spread the onion and garlic in a 4-quart slow cooker. Set the pork on top. Pour the orange juice, lime juice and broth over it. The liquid should come most of the way up the meat. If it doesn't, add a little more broth.
  4. Cover. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 to 5 hours.
  5. Check the pork. It must read at least 145°F and be fork-tender. Rest 3 minutes.
  6. Shred the pork. Spread it on a rimmed baking sheet with a few spoonfuls of cooking juice.
  7. Broil 4 to 6 minutes until the edges brown. Serve in warm tortillas.

It's done when every piece of pork reads at least 145°F in the center, and it is fork-tender and shreds easily. Let it rest 3 minutes first. Check with a food thermometer.

Leftovers go in the refrigerator within two hours. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until hot all the way through (165°F), not in the slow cooker. Slow cooker safety

Make it a freezer dump bag

Put the pork, onion, garlic, orange juice, lime juice, broth and spices in one gallon freezer bag. Press out the air, seal, label and freeze flat.

Bag: gallon freezer bag. Keeps: 3 months for best quality; safe indefinitely at 0°F in the freezer.

Carnitas

Frozen on:

Thaw in the refrigerator 24 to 36 hours, until no ice is left in the middle. Never cook it from frozen, and cook it within 2 days of thawing. Dump into a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Check with a food thermometer that the pork reads at least 145°F and is fork-tender, then let it rest 3 minutes. Shred, spread on a baking sheet with some of the juices, and broil 4 to 6 minutes.

Best within 3 months of the date above.

Plan several bags at once with one shopping list and printable labels.

The planner prints this label free. A designed set for all 17 freezer recipes, plus blanks, is in the Freezer Bag Labels pack ($7).

Cooking for two

Use 1.5 lb pork in 2-inch chunks, and half of everything else: onion, garlic, orange and lime juice, broth, cumin, oregano and salt. Use a 2-quart slow cooker, so the food still fills it about halfway. Check at 6 hours on low.

More in Cooking for two in a slow cooker.

Tips

  • Watch the broiler closely. The edges go from brown to burnt quickly.
  • Skip the broiler step if you want soft, juicy meat.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow covered containers. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until they reach 165°F. Do not reheat them in the slow cooker.

Food-safety sources

More pork

  • Pulled Pork Low 8 to 10 hours, or high 4 to 5 hours Freezer bag Pork shoulder cut into pieces, rubbed with paprika and brown sugar, cooked until it shreds. Serve on buns.
  • Hawaiian Pork with Pineapple Low 8 to 10 hours, or high 4 to 5 hours Freezer bag Pork shoulder pieces cooked in pineapple juice, soy sauce and ginger, shredded and served over rice.
  • Sausage with Peppers and Onions Low 4 to 6 hours, or high 2 to 3 hours Browned Italian sausage links with bell peppers, onions and marinara, ready for rolls or pasta.
  • Split Pea Soup with Ham Low 7 to 9 hours, or high 4 to 5 hours Dried green split peas, diced ham, carrots and celery slow-cooked into a thick soup. No soaking needed.