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Slow-cooker pork carnitas with cabbage slaw, the whole dishSlow-cooker pork carnitas with cabbage slaw, close up

Slow-cooker pork carnitas with cabbage slaw

510 min · 47 g protein · 452 cals / serving

Lean pork loin and a piece of shoulder rubbed with cumin, oregano and chili, braised all day in orange, lime, garlic and onion, then shredded into their juices and broiled until the edges crackle. Piled over a crunchy slaw of green and red cabbage, radish, red onion and cilantro with a sharp lime dressing. A freezer-friendly batch for six.

Servings6

Ingredients

  • 2 lb boneless loin roast pork loin, cut in 2 pieces
  • 1 lb trimmed boneless shoulder (butt) pork shoulder, from about 1 lb 2 oz (500 g) bought: trim off the fat cap, then cut in 2 chunks

Rub

Lime slaw

Lime dressing

Steps

  1. Trim the thick fat cap and any large seams of fat from the shoulder and cut it into 2 chunks; cut the loin in 2. Mix the rub (salt, cumin, oregano, chili powder and pepper) and rub it all over the meat.
  2. Put the onion, garlic, bay leaves and jalapeño in the slow cooker, set the pork on top with the shoulder pieces in the middle, and pour the orange juice, broth and lime juice around it. Cover and cook on low for 7–8 hours (or high for 4–5), until both cuts fall apart at a fork. Lean loin dries if it goes past that point, so start checking at 6 1/2 hours.
  3. Lift the pork out and shred it with two forks, mixing the two cuts and discarding any soft fat. Pour the juices into a jug, let the fat rise for a minute and spoon it off. Discard the bay leaves and the jalapeño, mash the soft onion and garlic into the juices, and taste them for salt. Stir two-thirds of the juices through the meat; it should look wet.Step 3, what it should look like
  4. Heat the broiler (grill) to high. Spread the meat in one layer on a large sheet pan and broil about 8 minutes on the top shelf, stirring once, until the edges are brown and crisp. Watch it: it goes from crisp to burnt quickly.Step 4, what it should look like
  5. While the pork broils, toss the green and red cabbage, radishes, red onion and cilantro in a large bowl, and shake the lime juice, oil and salt together in a jar.
  6. Pile the slaw into bowls, top with the carnitas, spoon over the rest of the juices and then the dressing. Store the carnitas moistened with their juices (4 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer), and the slaw and dressing apart (4 days); reheat the pork in a hot pan until it sizzles again.

Good to know

Can I serve it in tortillas?

Yes: warm corn tortillas make gluten-free tacos with the slaw inside. Two small ones per person take the plate out of keto, so keto readers keep it a bowl or wrap it in lettuce leaves.

Can I make it with all shoulder?

Yes, it is the classic cut and the richest carnitas, at about 54 instead of 65. Use 3 lb of trimmed shoulder and skim the juices well; it can go the full 10 hours on low.

Is it spicy?

Mild: one jalapeño in the whole pot and a teaspoon of chili powder read as warm. For children, leave the jalapeño out and put hot sauce or pickled jalapeños on the table.

Alternatives

Per

Calories
118
Protein
(43%)
12 g
Fat
(47%)
6 g
Carbohydrates
(10%)
3 g
of which sugar
2 g
Fiber
1 g
Sodium
208 mg

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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How

As written, 2710 kcal goes into the pot and 2587 g of ingredients comes out as about 2290 g of food: 118 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.