Beef Carnitas

Not the best picture but these Beef Carnitas are amazing!

Last year a good friend and I had the opportunity to travel up the coast to a quaint little town of Fairhope Alabama. We enjoyed one particularly good meal there and I wanted to recreate certain aspects of it for my Carnitas. The addition of a spicy, creamy sauce and chopped Pineapple were the flavor combinations that sent this one over the fence for a home run!

I start my beef (or pork) in the Crockpot. You can’t beat the tenderness of the meat and flavor that slow cooking provides. I use my Dry Rub seasoning mix for the main addition of flavor. And then I add a little something different…

Why yes that is COFFEE in my French Press! I add leftover coffee from the morning as my liquid instead of just adding water. If you have tried it then you know what I’m talking about. Intensifies all the flavors! I have also added jarred salsa, peach chutney, jarred jalapenos and some of the pickling liquid or a can of diced tomatoes at any given time; separately that is. So be creative and add what you like to cook with the most!

Sometimes I sear my meat before adding it to the Crockpot and it adds a nice crust with all those yummy seasonings. But there are times where I just literally don’t have the time so in the Crockpot it goes. I cook it on low all day or if I start it later in the day I bump that baby up to high and cook for 4 hours. Either way it is delicious! The main thing is to keep your liquid from evaporating completely which happens quicker when cooking on high. Just add a little more water (no coffee at this point) if your liquid has evaporated some.

I then shred the meat and add it to a skillet with the remaining liquid to cook down some.

Is your mouth watering yet?? Because mine is just typing all of this and looking at the pictures! At this point the meat is ready to prepare the Carnitas.

Let’s back up a step though and I will give you my recipe for a Creamy Chipotle Sauce and what condiments I like to use.

Creamy Chipotle Sauce

1/4 cup Mayo
1/2 – 3/4 Sour Cream
2-3 Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce (I find this in the ethnic food aisle)
Juice of 1 lemon

Add all of the ingredients in a blender and blend thoroughly. I like to add a little extra sauce from the canned peppers for more of a kick. Also, just adjust the amount of sour cream you add depending on your own tastes. Start at 1/2 cup and go from there.

The condiments are simply shredded/chopped Romaine or Iceberg lettuce, a good Cheddar (grated) and chopped Pineapple.

Toast your tortillas in a dry skillet on the stove for 30 seconds per side or toast them in the oven on a low broil for about the same time per side.

Add the meat to the tortilla, then the condiments and lastly pour a little of the heavenly sauce over the top. It is the perfect combination of sweet from the pineapple, flavorful meat, smokey creamy sauce all wrapped in a toasted tortilla. We could eat these once a week!

Sharing my poor picture again to help you visualize. We never have leftovers for me to recreate during the day when lighting is better!

Hope you give them a try!

Tara