Gluten Free Slow Cooker Mexican Style
In the act of trying to simplify dinner making I came across several crock pot recipes for pork loin or pork shoulder. It is an easy thing to make if you can get it in the crock pot the night before and my kid will sometimes eat it. If she won’t eat it though I make rice and beans with it anyway, and she will certainly eat those. So it works for us since it can be easily modified for each person in the family.
All the recipes I found seemed like a great idea and so easy, but most of them are for American style BBQ or southwestern style. My husband does not like American style BBQ or southwestern style because it is according to him, too sweet and not really Mexican food.
So I decided to try my hand at making a carnitas version of slow cooker pork. Now, it isn’t exactly carnitas Mexican style because carnitas usually includes pieces of the pig like fat, skin and ears etc. If we do want that I can always head to the Mexican Carneceria and pick up some of that as well. However, I know my kid won’t eat that and I know that it will be good without anyway.
This recipe is great for making pork for tacos, burrito filling, even nacho toppings. We ran out of tortillas at one point and still ate it with rice and beans. It was delicious and makes enough for leftovers.
I have a really big slow cooker, or at least it is way bigger than my old one. So I was able to make a really large piece of meat. You can make this smaller of course depending on your needs.
Recipe:
Ingredients
- 4 lbs of pork loin or pork shoulder
- 1 onion white or yellow
- 2 tablespoon of minced garlic
- Salt enough to cover pork
- 2-3 large limes to be juiced
- 2 large limes to be served with
- 2-6 chipotle peppers, depending on if you want it spicy or not. I only put in 2 to give it a little flavor
Instructions
- Quarter the onion and add it to the crock pot with the garlic, peppers and the juice of two large limes. If you have time and like your meat to have a seared flavor you can sear it on the stove top until brown around the outside. I skipped this step and it turned out great so it is not necessary. Cover the pork in salt, a lot of salt, on all sides. Then set your crock pot on low and let it cook for 10-12 hours.
So, really you can’t go wrong here, it is slow cooked meat and it tastes amazing! Serve with fresh lime juice squeezed on top in your favorite taco, burrito, or whatever way you wish. I served with it corn tortillas, Mexican red rice and beans on the side and cilantro, and chipotle salsa on mine. Of course I forgot to take a picture this time around, so next time I will be sure to get a good one!
P.S.
You can see the Chipotle salsa recipe here: http://www.withextralove.com/2017/03/05/easy-chipotle-salsa-recipe/ The salsa is a great thing to make ahead and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days for topping pretty much anything if you love chipotle, which we do. If you don’t have time to make salsa it is also excellent with pickled carrots and jalapenos. They sell whole cans of this in the store.
