Slow Cooker Carnitas

This is one of my go-to dishes that I love making. Truthfully, I've made this for the past 4 weeks in a row but who is going to stop me?? There is nothing easier than putting a roast of some sort in your crock pot, turning it on low and walking away. Come back 10 hours later and you have the most tender meat with hardly even any effort. This can be eaten for lunch or dinner and saves so much time during the week when I'm prepping my meals for the following day. 

If you follow my blog regularly, I'm sure you have started noticing a theme. I don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen during the week. Between work, working out and social activities I am always busy. I need simple, efficient and delicious. This pork is SO tasty and SO tender it falls apart with hardly even touching it with a fork. 

Remember that Rosemary Pork Roast I made a while back? I'm using the same lean pork roast again in this recipe. This makes a good sized batch of shredded pork so that you can eat this for a few meals. The thing I love about this pork is that it is so versatile. Throw it on a salad for lunch, serve it up in some taco shells for dinner, warm it up and slather it in my Avocado Lime Dressing - really the possibilities are endless! 

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8-10 hours

Servings: 6 (1 serving = 4 oz)

Ingredients

• 2 lb Pork Sirloin Tip Roast
• 1 cup Chicken Stock
• Mexican Spice Blend
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Mix together spices in Mexican Spice Blend and set aside. Cut the pork roast into smaller pieces (I aim for 6 pieces or so). Toss the pork with the spice blend to even coat all sides of the meat. 
2. Transfer the pork to a Crock Pot and slowly pour the chicken stock around the perimeter of the bowl. Try not to pour directly onto the meat - we don't want to rinse away the spices!
3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Transfer pork to a cutting board or bowl and easily shred with a fork. You can save the liquid and heat up to serve poured over the pork. I like to save the liquid and use a little with the pork when I reheat the meat as the week goes on.

Eat on its own, over a salad, on a sandwich, in a taco...get creative!

Nutritional info (1 serving = 4 oz cooked pork carnitas)

140 Calories - 30 g Protein, 0 g Carbs, 2 g Fat

Rosemary Pork Roast with Butternut Squash and Apples

Yum

In many cities, the month of May brings rising temperatures and signs of summer. In San Francisco, however, May signifies the start of our "winter" - cold, biting temperatures and thick, rolling fog. A small price to pay for living in such an amazing city, I suppose. On nights when the wind is blowing and the temperature has dropped, nothing beats coming home to a warm dinner. 

During the week, between work and workouts, I'm usually short on time. This meal is a perfect weeknight dinner option - seems like it took hours to make but can be completed within an hour! I love eating sirloin tip pork roasts. It's a very lean cut of pork but is still incredibly juicy. If you have an extra 30 minutes to spare, allowing it to marinate in my rosemary, lemony-Dijon marinade makes it even better.

By searing the meat on all sides, you create a crust which locks in the juices while the roast finishes off in the oven. This also helps shorten the actual cooking time of the meat, once in the oven.

I love this duo of butternut squash and apples with the pork. They are tossed in cinnamon, rosemary, olive oil and salt prior to roasting. Sweet and savory! I prefer to roast the squash and apples in the same pan as the pork so that the flavors of the roast infuse with them.

Cooking time will vary based on the size of your roast and oven, but I was able to cook my roast in under 45 minutes - around 8-10 minutes for the searing and 35 minutes to finish off in the oven! This pork roast is one of my go-to meals during the week. No matter the season, you can't go wrong with these flavors!

Rosemary Pork Roast with Butternut Squash and Apples

Prep Time: 15 minutes + time for marinade (30 minutes to 24 hours, optional)

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

For the pork roast

• 1 1/2 - 2 lb. sirloin tip pork roast
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tsp)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cracked pepper

For the roasted squash and apples

• 3 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 2 apples, cubed
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp Kosher salt

Kitchen Tools

ChefAlarm by ThermoWorks - (Red)

Directions

1. Start by making the marinade for the pork. In a small bowl combine rosemary, lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and pour over pork. If you are short on time, you could skip letting this sit to marinate. If you have time, allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. (Even better, you could put the pork in the marinade the night before so that you are ready to go straight to cooking the next night!)
2. Remove pork from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400°. 
3. Chop squash and apples into cubes. Toss in rosemary, olive oil, cinnamon and salt.
4. Heat cast iron skillet over high heat. Once heated, sear all sides of the roast for 2-3 minutes per side, creating a crust. 
5. Arrange as much of the squash and apple mix in the skillet, around the roast, that will fit. Any remaining lay in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer cast iron skillet and baking sheet to oven. 
6. Allow to cook until the roast registers an internal temperature of 140° (my roast of 1.6 lb. took 35 min - about 20 min per lb.). For the most accurate cooking time, I highly recommend the use of a meat thermometer! 
7. Remove roast and squash/apple mix from oven and allow to sit for 5 min before cutting - we don't want to lose all the juices!
8. Slice pork roast thinly and serve with roasted butternut squash and apples!

Pork Nutritional info (1 serving, 5 oz cooked)

189 Calories - 35 g Protein, 0 g Carbs, 5.6 g Fat

Butternut Squash and Apples Nutritional info (1 serving = 1/4 of full recipe)

135 Calories - 1.3 g Protein, 27.5 g Carbs, 3.8 g Fat