PULLED PORK CARNITAS WITH PICKLED ONIONS
Cooked in the slow cooker for easy preparation, this tender and juicy pulled pork is served as tacos, but you can also add it to burritos, pizza, mac and cheese or pasta dishes. Of course it wouldn’t be complete without a sprinkling of a bold flaky sea salt like our Barrel Smoked Whisky Salt!
Pulled Pork Carnitas with Pickled Onions
Cooked in the slow cooker for easy preparation, this tender and juicypulled pork is served as tacos, but you can also add it to burritos, pizza, mac and cheese or pasta dishes.
Servings 6 people
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
Pork Rub
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp Vancouver Island Sea Salt (fine)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
Pulled Pork
- 1 pork shoulder (3 1/2 lbs/1.6 kg)
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pcs bay leaves
- 1 cup beer
- 1 cup chicken broth (unsalted/no salt added)
- 2 tbsp lime juice
Pickled Red Onions
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Vancouver Island Sea Salt (fine)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
Garnish & Finishing
- 12 corn tortillas, warmed
- 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves (packed tightly)
- Barrel Smoked Whisky Salt to finish
Instructions
Pulled Pork
- Stir together chili powder, brown sugar, Fine Sea Salt, paprika, cumin, pepper,oregano and cayenne; rub all over pork.
- Place pork in bowl of slow cooker; add onion, garlic and bay leaves. Pour in beer, broth and lime juice.
- Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or High for 3 to 4 hours until very tender. Remove and discard bay leaves (Make the pickled red onions while waiting).
- Transfer pork to cutting board. Let stand for 10 minutes. Shred pork using two forks.
- Pour 2 cups (500 mL) of cooking liquid into small saucepan; cook over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened, then toss with pulled pork. Return to slow cooker; set on Warm until ready to serve.
Pickled Red Onions
- Combine vinegar, Fine Sea Salt and sugar; bring to boil.
- Pour over sliced red onion. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours or until lightly pickled.
To Assemble
- Serve pulled pork in tortillas with pickled red onions, chopped avocado and cilantro. You can also drizzle some homemade Mexican crema (recipe below) and sprinkle with our Barrel Smoked Whisky Salt.
Notes
- Add thinly sliced cabbage, queso fresco and a drizzle of crema to tacos if desired.
- For the pickled onions, you can substitute white vinegar instead of white wine vinegar to make the pickled onions. It will be slightly more acidic, so balance it out by adding another teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon or two of water.
- Sprinkling the Barrel Smoked Whisky Salt to finish the tacos gives this an extra crunch and lends a hint of smoke to the pulled pork.
Homemade Mexican Crema
A great sauce to include in your spread for taco night, Mexican crema is a lot more intense than sour cream and is great for cooling down the palate when you eat hot and spicy chilies. Our recipe starts with making your own creme fraiche (but store bought creme fraiche will do). Leaving it on the counter for 12 hrs will activate the buttermilk culture and give this crema a rich taste and thicker consistency. You can keep this cream in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cream
- 1 tbsp buttermilk
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1 tsp Vancouver Island Sea Salt (fine)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
Instructions
- Heat cream in a sauce pan to just below simmer or until warmed through. Transfer to a non-reactive container.
- Add buttermilk to the cream and leave to stand covered at room temperature for at least 12 hrs (up to 24 hrs). This will create the creme fraiche.
- When the cream is ready, toast the cumin seeds on a dry skillet until fragrant, about one minute. Grind the toasted spice in a grinder or mortar and pestle.
- Add cumin, sea salt and lime juice to the thickened cream and stir to mix well.
Notes
- If using ready-made creme fraiche, omit steps 1 and 2.
- This crema will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.