Monday, November 7, 2011

Shredded Cuban Pork

For Nate and Brandon's birthday dinner I made this shredded pork recipe. I slightly adapted this from my favorite recipe blog, Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I really enjoyed it, tons of flavor, but not hot. You could use this for salads, nachos, tacos, tostadas, etc. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4-pound boneless pork butt or boneless pork top loin roast, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 bay leaves
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeƱo, minced
1 onion, quartered
juice of 1 lime

Preparation:
Rub the pieces of pork all over with salt. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil is shimmering and hot. Add the pork and sear each piece on all sides, working in batches, if needed. Once browned, remove the pork to the slow cooker. Into the same pot used to sear the pork, pour in the water and chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged spatula or wooden spoon to get up all the delicious brown bits from the bottom. Add pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, garlic, jalapenos, onion, and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Pour the mixture over the pork in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the pork is very tender.

Remove the bay leaves and onion from the pot and discard. Remove the pork and place in a bowl and set aside. Pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a pot on the stove and over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Let the mixture boil until it reduces and is thickened slightly, about 10 -15 minutes. Add pork and sauce back to crock pot, mixing well, and keep on warm until ready to serve.

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