Easy Pork Carnitas

This easy to make Mexican recipe will be a favorite at your house. The best part? It doesn't heat up your kitchen and it is so simple to put together! Easy Pork Carnitas made in the roaster - you will love it!

So incredibly delicious and so incredibly easy, this easy pork carnitas cooks in a roaster so it doesn't heat up your kitchen. The flavors all have time to blend together for this Mexican favorite.

What I also like, is the Pork Shoulder that is used (also called Pork Butt) is often on sale so it makes this recipe cost effective for the family. Remember, the cost may seem higher than you normally pay for meat, but if you can get several servings out of it, it is worth the cost.

This pork butt cost about $10 and we got a supper and several servings for lunch out of it for my family of 6. (Should I add, I have two distance runners and a wrestler in our home? They eat a lot!)

Ingredients

• 3-4 lbs Pork shoulder (also called pork butt)
• Onion
• Orange bell pepper
• Orange juice (best freshly squeezed from an orange - about 1 ½ oranges)
• Olive oil
• Dried oregano
• Black pepper
• Coarse salt

I really recommend the coarse salt instead of the regular table salt. If you don't have the coarse salt, table salt will work, but the coarse salt makes a nice coating on the outside and adds a definite flavor enhancement.

Why a roaster?

Roaster Ovens are like a miniature oven that cooks on your countertop and is great for roasts, pork, we like cooking potatoes in it as well. (Works the same as the crock pot baked potatoes.)

It isn't something I use often, but for large baked ham or a turkey, or in this case pork, it frees up your oven and also doesn't heat up your kitchen. The roaster oven is more energy efficient than running your oven. I would not be without one.

Electric Roaster Ovens come in a variety of sizes and prices so be sure to look for one that fits your needs. The roaster I have is large and I recommend one of that size.

Let's talk about the rub

Any meat recipe that starts with a rub has got to end well, wouldn't you agree? When you put a rub on a meat, it does a couple of things. For one, it adds flavor to the outside of the meat. Also, it can help make that crust on the outside of the meat that most everyone loves.

When using a rub, you should let the rub sit on the outside of the pork for at least 15 minutes to let it go to work. If you don't have time, that is okay, put it right into the roaster. But, if you have at least 15 minutes, let the rub hang out for a while.

The rub is a blend of oregano, course salt and pepper. Some mixes it all together in a bowl then pats it on the meat. I added them one at a time. Either way works.

Make sure to cover the entire pork thoroughly.

While the pork is sitting for 15 minutes, you can cut up the peppers for the carnitas.

Time to roast

Place the roast in the roaster oven and top with the sliced peppers, onions, and orange juice.

When using orange juice, you will want enough juice for about ½ cup to start. I like using freshly squeezed orange juice for this but in a pinch, you can use regular orange juice.

Just squeeze (pour) the juice over the top of the pork then cover with the lid.

Cooking time

We like to cook meat low and slow so I put this pork in about 10:30 and it didn't come out until about 4:30. So 6 hours. The temperature was at 300 degrees.

After the pork is done cooking, take it out and shred it. There will be some fat in the meat, and according to your tastes, you can take it out or leave it.

We always take it out.

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