Pork Carnita Tacos w/ Grilled Pineapple
Pork Carnita Tacos w/Grilled Pineapple
“Taco Tuesdays” are a weekly tradition in our home. These pork carnita tacos are always on the menu. Just crab your slow cooker and it will do all of the work for you! Set it and go! Pineapples are a good compliment to pork. It adds sweetness and acidity to the dish. In this recipe I used crumbled feta cheese but you can use crumbled queso fresca. Feta cheese adds a tangy flavor to the tacos. Your tastebuds will thank you after eating these! Grab your crock pot and lets start! The main difference between pork carnitas and pulled pork is that with carnitas, after they have been slow cooked, you add them to the oven to get a crispiness. Pulled pork is always moist without any crispiness on top. For both, you will use a pork shoulder. The one I had was extremely large, so I cut it into thirds and put the other two in the freezer for a later day.
Add the pork shoulder to your crock pot. Season the pork with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cajun seasoning and paprika.
For the liquid, add your favorite orange juice. I know, that sounds weird, but the orange juice adds a sweet and tangy flavor to the meat. Make sure to use a pulp free orange juice.
Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.
Once the pork is cooked and it is tender, shred the meat. After meat is shredded, add 1/4 tsp of salt and mix well.
While the shredded pork is warming in the crock pot, its now time to grill the pineapples. In this recipe, I used canned sliced pineapples but you can use fresh pineapples as well. The canned pineapples have more sugar which allows the pineapples to get better grill marks and more carmalization.
Add oil and butter to the grill pan and once it is really hot, add the pineapples.
Once you have grilled all of the pineapples, take the pork from the crock pot and pour it onto a baking sheet. Make sure to pour all of the juices along with the pork. Turn your oven on broil at 550 degrees.
Cook the pork 5-7 minutes or until it is brown on top.
Grab your favorite tortillas and add the pork, pineapples, feta cheese and fresh cilantro. ENJOY!
Pork Carnita Tacos w/Grilled Pineapples
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Pork Shoulder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pulp free orange juice
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp butter
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
- 8-10 pineapple slices
- Tortillas of your choice
Instructions
- In a crock pot, add 1 1/2 pound of pork shoulder.
- Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cajun seasoning and paprika.
- Pour orange juice around the pork shoulder in the crock pot.
- Cook on high for 6 hours OR on low for 8 hours.
- Once the pork is cooked and tender, shred evenly.
- Add 1/4 tsp of salt to the shredded pork and stir.
- On a grill pan, add vegetable oil and butter. Once the butter has melted and the pan is hot, grill the pineapples for 3-5 minutes on each side or until there are grill marks.
- Pour the shredded pork, along with the juices, onto a baking sheet. Turn the oven on broil at 550 degrees.
- Add the pork to the oven. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown on the top.
- Add the pork and pineapples to your favorite tortilla.
- Top with feta cheese and fresh cilantro.
- ENJOY!
Hi there, I’m Shauntra! My blog is full of recipes made with simple ingredients for delicious food. Read more about me.
